Triangle of Immortality
by Sariniste
Summary: AU, sci-fi/thriller, IchiHime. A young chemist has made a brilliant discovery that may change the world. But a dark shadow from her past is trying to steal it, not caring that he may have to destroy her first. Can Orihime, Ichigo, and their small band of friends defeat the evil, powerful CEO of Las Noches Corporation, Sousuke Aizen? Romance/adventure/thriller.
1. Chapter 1: Orihime:Aizen

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 1**

**by Sariniste  
**

**A/N:** Orihime is a chemist at a startup company that is acquired by Aizen in a hostile takeover. Ichigo is a doctor engaged to her. Orihime has developed an amazing power, with Ichigo's help. But what will Aizen do to control it? Can Orihime and Ichigo work together to stop him?

This is an AU; everyone is human and there are no shinigami, but I try to keep everyone mostly in character. I also bring in many echoes from the canon story line, especially the events up through manga chapter 423 that came out in the fall of 2010. This story is an adventure thriller / romance. Most of the chapters involve various interactions between the three main characters, but many other Bleach characters have walk-on parts (see below for a chapter-by-chapter guide to characters). Thanks for reading.

**Characters in chapters**: I find I often skim through fanfics looking for my favorite characters, so here is a chapter guide so you can look for yours (characters are also listed in the chapter titles):

**Ch. 1-3:** Orihime and Aizen  
**Ch. 4: **Orihime and Ichigo  
**Ch. 5:** Ichigo, Renji, and Byakuya**  
Ch. 6:** Orihime and Aizen**  
Ch. 7****:** Ichigo and Orihime  
**Ch. 8****:** Ichigo and Aizen  
**Ch. 9:** Orihime, Ulquiorra, Aizen, Yachiru  
**Ch. 10, 11:** Ichigo, Orihime, Urahara  
**Ch. 12:** Ichigo, Urahara, Toshiro  
**Ch. 13:** Ichigo, Orihime, Toshiro, Grimmjow, Aizen  
**Ch. 14:** Ichigo and Aizen  
**Ch. 15:** Ichigo, Orihime, Grimmjow  
**Ch. 16**: Orihime, Aizen, Ulquiorra, Ichigo, Grimmjow  
**Ch. 17:** Orihime, Ichigo, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Szayel, Aizen  
**Ch. 18:** Ichigo, Orihime, Ulquiorra, Hitsugaya, Urahara, Grimmjow  
**Ch. 19:** Orihime, Ichigo, Aizen, Szayel  
**Ch. 20:** Orihime, Ichigo, Szayel, Gin  
**Ch. 21:** Orihime, Grimmjow, Ichigo, Szayel, Aizen  
**Ch. 22:** Ichigo, Aizen  
**Ch. 23:** Orihime, Ichigo, Urahara, Shinji, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra  
**Ch. 24:** Hitsugaya, Aizen, Orihime, Ichigo, Urahara  
**Ch. 25:** Orihime, Ichigo, Aizen

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

* * *

Orihime was sitting at her lab bench, carefully pipetting a reagent into an Erlenmeyer flask, when the lab door opened and Yamamoto came in with a group of men in suits. She studiously avoided looking at them and concentrated on her work. There had been many rumors that the company was a takeover target, and executive types had been coming through her lab at all hours.

"This is Dr. Orihime Inoue, our head biochemist, and the inventor of our patented retrovirus rejection process." Orihime sighed inwardly. Ever since her work had become the chief source of revenue for the Gotei Corporation, the company president was eager to show her off to all the visiting bigwigs. She found it annoying because it interfered with her work.

She plastered a smile on her face and then looked up at the group. Her smile froze when she caught a glimpse of the man in front. Impeccably dressed in a tailored gray suit, he wore an expression of amused arrogance that immediately seemed familiar to her, although she had not laid eyes on this man for well over a decade. His deep brown eyes caught and held her gaze. His appearance had changed: he now wore his wavy brown hair swept back from his face, and there were no glasses obscuring his thickly lashed eyes. But the intensity and power of his expression was unchanged.

Yamamoto was still speaking. "Orihime, this is Sousuke Aizen, CEO of Las Noches Corporation. He -"

But Aizen was moving forward to take her hand. He smiled at her warmly. "Orihime and I are old friends. We went to high school together," he explained to Yamamoto in his rich baritone, not taking his eyes off Orihime.

Hearing his voice again after all these years, she was thrown back into a nightmare memory from her high school days.

_"You can't go in there." Kaname Tousen, one of the lieutenants in Aizen's gang, stepped in front of the door to the school basement and blocked her entrance._

_Orihime looked stricken. "Please," she whispered, "Aizen-san said I should come." She was lying, but she had to see him and ask the question that was burning in her mind._

_Tousen looked at her with doubt in his eyes. He knew Aizen had a relationship with this girl, and might be angry if Tousen went against his wishes. On the other hand, Aizen had left strict instructions not to be disturbed. He often held secret meetings with his gang in the basement room, and always posted guards at the entrance._

_He sighed and opened the door. Nodding her thanks, Orihime slipped inside quickly. As she made her way down the stairs, she heard voices below. There were about a dozen people in the dim room, standing in a rough semi-circle around a dark-haired girl with her head bowed. Aizen was relaxing in a chair on a raised platform at one end of the room, his chin propped on his hand. His bangs were falling over his face, and the dim light reflected off his glasses._

_"So, you no longer wish to be a courier for me, Rukia?" Aizen's voice sounded calm and gentle. "In that case, you are no longer of any use to me." He lifted his gaze to look at the boy standing in the back of the room with slitted eyes and a wide smile. "Kill her, Gin."_

_"If I must," Gin Ichimaru said in a mocking voice as he moved forward, drawing a knife. There was a flurry of movement below and Orihime let out a gasp. In the shadows, she couldn't see what was happening._

_Suddenly, Aizen was by her side. "Orihime, what are you doing here?" he asked as he steered her up the stairs with a hand in the middle of her back. Before she could protest, she was out the door and Aizen was glaring at Tousen, who was stammering his apologies._

_"Sousuke," she asked in a panicked voice, "you weren't really ordering Gin to kill Rukia, were you?"_

_Aizen turned to her with a reassuring smile on his face. "Of course not. It was only a figure of speech." He ran his hand through her hair and brought his lips close to her ear. "You surely don't think I would do anything like that, do you?"_

Indeed, Rukia had been alive and well after that incident. And as far as Orihime knew, she was still alive today.

But Aizen had terrified her ever since. She was not sure what he was capable of.

Now he was looking down at her, noting the fear in her eyes with amusement. "Orihime knew me in my wild, lawless days in high school. Perhaps she doesn't realize that I have reformed and am now a model citizen." He looked back over his shoulder at Yamamoto. "I would like to spend some time talking with Dr. Inoue about her process."

"Of course," said the old man with a dismissive gesture. "Should I leave you to talk now?"

Aizen looked back at Orihime. "I think perhaps... a lengthier period to talk... later tonight?" His voice dropped seductively and he stepped closer to her. "Orihime, are you available for dinner?"

"I, uh, ..." Orihime stuttered, looking up at him wide-eyed. She could not look away from the intensity of his gaze. His liquid-center brown eyes were even more beautiful than she remembered, and her knees suddenly felt weak. She could feel herself blushing, and Aizen's smile deepened in response.

Yamamoto said quickly, "I am sure Dr. Inoue can make time tonight." He looked meaningly at Orihime. He wanted her to be agreeable to the potential buyers of the company.

"Yeah, sure. I can cancel... I mean, I can be available tonight." She wasn't happy, because she would have to cancel a date with her fiance. But it didn't look like Yamamoto was giving her any choice.

"Good." Aizen's voice was silky with satisfaction. "I'll pick you up at six."

The men left the room and Orihime frowned in annoyance. She picked up her cell phone. "Ichigo? I'm afraid I have to cancel for tonight. Something's come up at work. Yeah, I'm sorry too."

She tried to ignore the hurt in his voice as he patiently said it was okay, he understood. Ichigo was a doctor at the clinic down the street, and he often had to work late as well. But she couldn't avoid a twinge of guilt that she wasn't being entirely truthful about tonight's plans. She knew that if Ichigo knew she was going out with Sousuke Aizen, he would be furious and all his protective instincts would be roused. Ichigo had gone to their high school as well and knew Aizen's reputation.

She closed the phone and sighed. She really didn't want to do this. Aizen was a chapter of her past that she regretted intensely. They had dated for a while, but it was mostly because Aizen had inexplicably developed an interest in her and had pursued her vigorously. Their relationship had been… strange. She still felt embarrassed about some of the things he had somehow persuaded her to do with him. When she finally realized that he was not only a member of the most ruthless gang in her school, but its leader, she had tried furiously to get away, and had eventually succeeded when Aizen developed an interest in someone else. She hadn't heard of him in years.

She had long thought that he was probably in jail somewhere, given his criminal past. Now he had turned up as a corporate executive, most likely powerful and rich. But she didn't believe that he had really "reformed." Aizen was too used to getting his way to put much effort into obeying the law.

It did not bode well for her if he became interested in her again. Well, she thought, surely he came into contact with many beautiful women now, and would not find a mere scientist appealing. She would just have to keep tonight's conversation strictly on business.

She smiled to herself. As she remembered, Aizen was brilliant and manipulative, but he was also insatiably curious. He would likely be fascinated by the latest developments in her research. She would just have to pique his curiosity appropriately, and she could talk all evening about biochemistry.


	2. Chapter 2: Orihime:Aizen

**Triangle of Immortality - Chap. 2**

**by Sariniste**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

Orihime stood at the glass doors in the main lobby of their office building. It was getting dark outside, and rush hour traffic was in full force on the downtown streets. Once again, she regretted acceding to Yamamoto's request that she have dinner with Sousuke Aizen. She couldn't avoid a foreboding of dread at the thought of an entire evening alone with this man.

A limo pulled into the red zone in front of the building and stopped. A lanky man with long black hair and an eye patch got out of the driver's side and hurried over to open the rear door. Aizen emerged gracefully from the car, looked straight at Orihime behind the glass doors, and smiled. He looked impeccable as always, though not as formal as he had been that afternoon, in an elegant white shirt and neatly pressed gray slacks. Orihime shivered. She had assumed that he would dress formally, and so had deliberately underdressed in a light blue sundress and old sweater that she kept at the office to change into when she took off her lab coat. She had not wanted it to look as if she were dressing up for Aizen.

Feeling as though her limbs were not fully under her control, Orihime pushed open the door and walked towards Aizen. He took her hand and smiled warmly. She could smell his clean scent.

"Orihime, thank you for agreeing to talk with me on such short notice. I'm very eager to discuss your new research."

A bit flustered, as she had always felt around him, she said, "Oh, it's my pleasure, Aizen-san."

He held the car door open for her to get in. "Please, call me Sousuke. You always used to."

"Oh, uh, I'm not sure if I..." she trailed off as he sat down next to her and his arm brushed hers, sending an electric shock through her body. She awkwardly and hastily slid over to the other side of the seat as he looked at her with amusement.

"You look as lovely as ever, Orihime. You haven't changed a bit."

Anger suddenly flared in Orihime. She wasn't going to fall for his smooth talk now that she was a grown woman and a successful scientist instead of an insecure high school girl. "Don't give me those slick lines. I'm twice as old as I was when you knew me, and I'm sure I don't travel in the same social circles as you. Why don't we just stick to talking about science?"

Laughing, he said, "I take it back. The Orihime I knew would never have been so refreshingly bold. You have changed - and for the better, I believe." There was a teasing edge to his deep voice.

Orihime turned away and looked out the window. They were driving towards the ritzy part of downtown. He was probably going to take her to some impossibly expensive restaurant. She remembered that from their days together in high school; he was always putting her in situations where she felt out of her depth, getting her off balance, and then using her uncertainty to get her to agree to whatever he wanted, against her better judgment. Surely she wouldn't fall for all that again. And yet, she realized that she was incredibly aware of the closeness of his body, that she felt a tingling in her core knowing that he was looking at her with that amused half smile. No, she told herself. I'm not going to fall for him again. That was a once in a lifetime mistake.

"Orihime," his voice was caressing. "I mean you no harm. Truly, I hope you believe me. I am simply very interested in the results of your work. Can you tell me about your latest discovery?"

Orihime turned back to face him and tried to calm her scattered thoughts. Yes. This was business, and she was here to work. As long as she refused to listen to what her traitorous body was feeling, she would be fine.

"Yes, uh, of course. OK. Do you know what a telomere is?"

He leaned back in the seat and considered. "They're a DNA sequence at the end of each chromosome, aren't they? When cells divide, the telomeres get shorter. They're a marker of how old each individual cell is, isn't that right?"

"That's right." She wasn't surprised that Aizen would know that obscure bit of biology. In the old days, she had frequently been astonished at his wide range of eclectic knowledge and his quick grasp of novel concepts. "Telomeres have been linked to aging. In humans, a cell replicates about 50 times before the telomeres become too short and the cell dies."

He raised his eyebrows. "So, a time limit on human life span at the cellular level."

"Exactly. There is a theory that if we could somehow switch off the telomere shortening process, we could extend human life."

"It sounds logical. Is this what you're working on?"

"Well, it's not so simple, it turns out. There is an enzyme, telomerase, that appears to have this effect. However, the primary producers of telomerase are cancer cells."

Aizen looked at her intently. "So, this enzyme could either be a powerful longevity agent, or a carcinogen."

"Yes. My research involves gene-splicing to produce a retrovirus that yields an enzyme similar to telomerase, but that gives us more fine-grained control of the process. In effect, we're working towards a biochemical switch to control the aging process. We're actually planning to use a method patented by another scientist at our company, Kisuke Urahara. It's called the Hogyoku process. It breaks down the barriers between the two different receptor sites."

There was a look in the depths of his dark eyes that made her suddenly nervous. "So," he breathed. "You're working on the fountain of youth. Immortality."

Orihime shook her head. "No, of course not. It's far too soon to say anything like that. A great deal more research needs to be conducted before we can even synthesize and test the enzyme. Then we'd need to begin clinical trials, first in animals, to test for safety. Even if we were successful, it's still going to take years before we can even begin human trials, and then more time to verify that it's safe and effective."

There was a look on his face that she couldn't identify. He smiled slightly. "Yes, I know. FDA regulations for clinical trials are so cumbersome, aren't they."

"With good reason," she retorted sharply. "If a company rushed to market with an unsafe product, subsequent lawsuits would ruin the profit margin. Not to mention, of course, the ethical concerns."

He smiled again.

"Of course," she couldn't keep herself from adding, "I suppose you wouldn't care about that, would you?"

"Orihime." His voice was gently reproving. "I've told you. I operate on the correct side of the law, now."

She lowered her eyes. Somehow, she had a hard time believing that.

XxXxXxX

Orihime sighed as she finished the last bite of the most delicious chocolate torte she had ever eaten. She leaned back in the luxurious chair and gazed up at the ornate ceiling of the restaurant. It had been a wonderful meal. The best part was that the portions were big enough for her healthy appetite, not a common experience for her in most restaurants.

The evening had not been as much of an ordeal she had feared. Aizen had asked her a great deal of in-depth technical questions, indicating he had more than a passing knowledge of biochemistry. He had even avoided any suggestive overtones in his conversation. He was clearly quite enthusiastic about her research, perhaps even overly so. He kept jumping ahead to speculative conclusions, and she kept having to explain the technical and logistic reasons why his grandiose ideas wouldn't work. However, he hadn't seemed to mind her critique, seeming as calm and pleasant as ever.

Aizen looked at her over the rim of his wine glass. "So," he smiled. "Did you enjoy the meal?"

"Oh, yes, it was delicious! Thank you very much." She actually felt relaxed enough to smile back at him.

"You're quite welcome, my dear Orihime." He set the glass down and looked at her intently. "But it is I who must thank you. Your work is amazing. And it fits in perfectly with how we are positioning Las Noches in the market. We need a product like this to continue to dominate the healthcare field. Orihime, I know we will work well together."

Orihime shook her head. She felt a bit lightheaded. She didn't think she had drunk too much wine, but everything had been so good that she wasn't sure. "Of course," she said, "that's all up to Yamamoto. I'm just a worker bee at the company."

"On the contrary, Orihime, you are of primary importance. Surely you can see the implications of your work. The company that controls the rights to a longevity process, to practical immortality, will achieve world domination." Aizen's casual posture belied the intensity of his words. He had propped an elbow on the table and was resting his chin in his hand, gazing at her calmly with eyes the color of the dark chocolate she had just eaten. "I'll need your abilities to achieve my goals."

Orihime felt suddenly dizzy. Aizen's face seemed to be floating closer then farther away. She heard him ask, his voice sounding like it was at the end of a very long tunnel, "Orihime, are you all right?"

The next few moments were a blur of disconnected images. She was leaning on Aizen in the foyer of the restaurant, with her arm draped over his shoulders. He was saying to the concierge, "My guest appears to have had too much to drink. But I'll take her home, and she'll be all right." He had opened his cell phone. "Nnoitra, please bring the car around."

The next thing she knew, she was slumped in the back seat of Aizen's limo. "Please," she whispered, "take me home."

Aizen brushed his lips over the top of her head. "Don't worry," he murmured. "I will."


	3. Chapter 3: Orihime:Aizen

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 3**

**by Sariniste**

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who has read, favorited, or reviewed this story! I'm glad to hear people like it. Please do give me more feedback; I really appreciate it and will take suggestions, although I think I already have a good idea of where I want to take the story. Thanks! ~Sari**  
**

* * *

Orihime moaned and opened her eyes. She was lying on a white leather couch in an unfamiliar room. She lifted her head. She appeared to be alone in the large, luxuriously appointed living room. Floor to ceiling windows overlooked a panoramic view of the city lights far below. It looked as if she was somewhere around the fiftieth floor of a very tall building. She groaned and let her head fall back. What had happened?

"Are you feeling better, Orihime?" a deep voice asked from behind her. She gasped and turned her head, causing the room to spin around her once more.

Sousuke Aizen was walking across a large expanse of Persian carpet toward her, holding two teacups which he placed on the glass-topped coffee table in front of her. There was a look of concern on his face, the curl of brown hair hanging loosely between his eyes. He sat down on the couch beside her.

"I'm afraid you had a bit too much wine at dinner." His voice was amused. "I agree, it was an exceptionally fine vintage. Now, why don't we have some tea. I think it'll make you feel better."

"Sousuke," Orihime accused, "why did you bring me here and not to my home as I asked?" She was still trying to sit up.

"What, no protestations of gratitude for my rescue of you from public humiliation?"

She finally sat up shakily and frowned sternly at him. He appeared to be trying not to smile. "I can't believe you practically kidnapped me and brought me to your apartment."

He sighed. "Orihime, why must you always believe me to be a villain? The fact of the matter is, I don't know where you live. You were not in any condition to inform me of your address, and I don't believe it would have been beneficial for your career for me to return you to your place of employment in an unconscious state."

"Oh." Orihime was taken aback. Her feeling of righteous indignation vanished. "I'm sorry."

"Why don't you drink your tea and then I'll take you wherever you wish."

She brought the delicate teacup to her lips and sipped. The hot, sweet liquid soothed her throat. She could feel it warming her from the inside out, and she sighed and drank some more. Gradually, it seemed like the whirling of the room was slowing down.

Aizen was watching her carefully. "There. Doesn't that feel better?"

She nodded.

"I firmly believe there is nothing finer than a steaming cup of tea in times of stress. Good for what ails you, as my aunt used to say." His voice sounded playful now as he continued to look at her appraisingly.

Orihime laughed. "Your aunt? I don't think you've ever talked to me about your family before." She knew he had not lived with his parents in high school, but he had always been close-mouthed about his living situation, and had never invited her to his home.

Aizen gave her an open and sincere smile rather than the seductive one he usually used on her. "There's a first time for everything, I suppose."

She was surprised. He seemed to be letting down his guard in front of her in a way he never had before. Perhaps she had misjudged him after all. Belatedly, she felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I apologize for causing a scene at the restaurant. I guess I'm not used to drinking much. I didn't think I had all that much wine."

His gaze traveled up and down her body appraisingly and she felt herself blushing. "Well, your body weight must be quite low. I'm not surprised a couple of glasses could affect you."

"I think it's also that I usually don't drink much these days," she said.

"Undoubtedly one of your many virtues," he said. Then his gaze on her turned serious. "But Orihime, there is something else I wanted to tell you." His eyes fell, and suddenly it seemed as if his mask had fallen away. "You see, I have a confession to make."

"Oh?" She glanced at him suspiciously.

"I've actually been thinking about you for a long while. You see - I've realized that I made a terrible mistake in letting you go so many years ago. I -" he stopped and ran a hand through his hair, looking almost nervous. The curl of hair fell back down over his forehead as he looked at her again. "I still have feelings for you, Orihime."

She looked at him, unable to hide her disbelief.

"No," he said. "I just wanted to tell you the truth. But I don't expect you to do anything about it. I know you've moved on, and I apologize for coming on to you earlier." He chuckled ruefully. "It seems to be a bad habit of mine, and I hope you'll forgive me." He suddenly appeared lost and vulnerable, and Orihime felt a surge of compassion, even though part of her was certain it was just an act. Impulsively, she reached out to take his hand. As she did, a wave of confusion swept through her again. She felt unaccountably sad, as though she were about to cry.

"It's all right, Sousuke, I forgive you," she mumbled, aware that her speech had become slurred. But how? A moment ago she had thought she was feeling better.

Aizen had taken her hand in both of his, and was stroking it gently. At his touch, she felt electricity coursing through her, and heat rose in her cheeks.

_It was always difficult to tell what was truth and what was illusion when it came to Aizen. When she first met him, she had thought he was a gentle, quiet, somewhat nerdly student. He got straight A's, spoke respectfully to the teachers, and was a member of the chess club. His expression was mild behind rectangular glasses. When he asked her out, he was polite and soft-spoken. They did homework together. His messy brown hair fell over his eyes as they worked side by side, and she glanced sidelong at him and thought he was cute and sweet._

_It was only later that she gradually began to realize all was not as it seemed. Often, at school, he would be surrounded by a large number of tough-looking friends. Two in particular, Gin and Kaname, were constantly by his side. They never spoke much to her, except in response to Aizen's requests. As she spent more time with Aizen, she noticed something strange about the people around him. They didn't behave the way friends normally did, but appeared to be hanging around until he sent them on various errands. Much later, she realized that many of them were gang members. Even later, she saw that they all appeared to be terrified of him, hastening to obey his polite requests as though they were commands. She remembered wondering what this apparently gentle boy had done to inspire such fear._

_And then, there was the incident his junior year… There had been a party where about a dozen students, including several of Aizen's crowd, had to be taken to the hospital with drug overdoses. Several of them nearly died, and almost all of them ended up with brain damage. _

_There had been a big scandal. Shinji Hirako, the senior class president, and Tessai Tsukabishi, a popular chemistry teacher, had been accused and convicted of brewing drugs in the school chemistry lab. They had been sent to jail. Several other teachers had lost their jobs over the incident._

_And Aizen? He had been present at the party, but the police had questioned him and had determined that he was an innocent bystander. He had merely happened upon the injured students and was attempting to help them. He was cleared of all suspicions, and even ended up becoming senior class president the following year. _

"_Sousuke," she had asked once, "what really happened that night?"_

_He looked distressed. "Orihime, I'd really rather not talk about it. I wasn't able to help some very good friends, and I still feel bad about it. Please don't ask me again." He had had a look of such agony on his face that she had felt the urgent need to comfort him. She had ended up taking him in her arms and whispering to him that everything would be all right. But still…she had never been really sure of the truth of his story, and had gone on wondering about it afterwards._

_He had always been a very good liar, and she had never been very skilled at detecting the truth behind his façade. She had fallen for his gentleness, and had a hard time believing that it was all a mask. She had witnessed enough of his actions around his gang to know that he could be selfish and ruthless when it suited his purposes, but then he would make a kind gesture that would melt her heart again and she would question her own perceptions. She had gone back and forth in her opinion more times than she could count._

Now, she wondered if it was all happening again. She felt her convictions about his inner nature being shaken. He was gazing at her with an intense expression in his deep brown eyes. There was melancholy and loneliness, overlaid with a hint of hope that seemed to tear at her heart. Their faces were only inches apart. She was suddenly extremely aware of his proximity. Her body felt boneless, tingling. Her mind felt hazy and confused. He reached up to brush a strand of hair out of her face and she shivered, but couldn't tear her gaze from his.

He threaded his fingers through her hair and brought his lips gently down on hers. The kiss began slowly, then deepened. Orihime shuddered and tried to push him away. He held her firmly until she relaxed, and she began to sink helplessly into his kiss. It was even more amazing than she remembered from a decade and a half ago. Slowly, almost unwillingly, she wound her arms around his body.

"No," she thought to herself. "I shouldn't be doing this. I'm engaged to Ichigo. I love Ichigo."

But she made no move to pull away from the man holding her tightly in his arms. He brushed his lips past her ear. "Orihime," he breathed, as though asking a question.

"Sousuke," she sighed in answer, and closed her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4: Orihime:Ichigo

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 4**

**by Sariniste  
**

**Primary characters in this chapter:** Orihime and Ichigo (finally!)

**Minor characters**: Yamamoto, Yachiru

XxXxXxX

"_Goodbye, halcyon days."_

Orihime stood at the door to her house in the predawn light, feeling queasy and ashamed. Her mind and body felt as though a hurricane had passed through them. She shook her head and inserted her key in the lock. Her house seemed like a peaceful refuge after yesterday's disturbing events. The light on the answering machine was blinking, but she didn't feel like talking to anyone right now.

She sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. She still couldn't believe that she had spent the night with Aizen. Like the stupid kid she had once been. And yet - she couldn't deny that it had been exciting. She felt once more the guilty yearning, how she had reached for him again and again with desire. She was like an addict, she thought with self-loathing, an addict craving a dangerous drug that she knew all too well would destroy her. She dropped her head on the kitchen table and let out a sob. What could she do now that her own body and spirit had betrayed her?

Aizen had reached out his hand to claim her, and she had gone willingly to him. She had accepted his claim. What was going to happen to her now? She knew he was interested not only in her body, but in her mind and her life's work. She knew her research was good, maybe even brilliant. It certainly could have the wide-ranging impact he seemed to think it would. She couldn't deny that his interest was flattering in a way.

But she knew, deep down, that he didn't really care for her, but only for the use he could get out of her. He had proven himself time and again to be utterly selfish. She remembered from years ago how possessive and demanding he was behind his calm façade. He wouldn't be satisfied until he owned her, body and soul. And he would not hesitate to use threats against her and those around her to get whatever he wanted. She remembered from years past how he had casually taken advantage of her compassion for her friends to coerce her to his will, asking her to perform actions she hated, watching her with tranquil eyes and that small, amused smile as she reluctantly agreed to his wishes.

Words she remembered from somewhere came unbidden to her mind. "Goodbye, halcyon days." She had thought her life was going well - she was in love with a wonderful man, her career was on a rising trajectory, her work was exciting - and now, it seemed, she was going to be the agent of her own destruction. The good part of her life was over. She thought of Ichigo, the man she had believed she loved so passionately that she could go through five lifetimes and still love the same man. She felt a rush of shame. She had betrayed him. How could she ever look him in the eyes again? She started sobbing in earnest.

XxXxXxX

She was startled by the insistent ringing of her doorbell. Who could be at her door this early in the morning? She briefly checked herself in the mirror to make sure she was presentable and hurried to answer the door.

Ichigo was standing there, wearing a ratty T-shirt and jeans, his orange hair sticking out in all directions as usual, looking as cute as ever. Her heart skipped a beat. "Hey, Orihime," he said, grinning at her in an achingly familiar manner. "Sorry it's so early, but you didn't answer the phone last night and I got worried."

It was so like him to check up on her. Her heart squeezed with remorse. He didn't yet know that she didn't deserve his concern. "Oh," she stammered, stepping aside to let him in, "I'm sorry, I haven't checked the messages yet."

He looked at her more closely. "What's wrong? Did old man Yamamoto work you too hard last night? You look exhausted."

Her cheeks flared with shame at his words. He cared for her and she didn't deserve it. Without warning, she burst out crying again. In an instant, she was in his arms, and he was hugging her tightly to his chest. "Hey, hey, calm down. It's all right, shh, shh, everything's gonna be fine." He stroked her hair and murmured softly to her.

She felt as if she were going to break down. This was what genuine concern and true feelings were like. So different from Aizen and his game playing. She cried with renewed vigor, hiccups and choked sobs bursting from her throat. Finally she ran down, resting her head against his chest.

"What's wrong, Orihime? What happened?"

"Well… I guess I had too much to drink last night, and –" She stopped. How could she tell him?

"Hey," he laughed, "that's happened to all of us. It's okay. What happened, did you embarrass yourself in front of your boss? I've been there."

"No, that's not it. I… I did something I shouldn't have. Ichigo, I -" She ran down again. She pulled away from his arms and looked in the opposite direction. "I, I really don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, okay then. Don't worry; you don't have to tell me. I know you will when you're ready. In the meantime, remember you can call on me if you need anything - absolutely anything." At his reassuring words, completely trusting and accepting of her, she felt unaccountably comforted. Where she had felt a chill in her heart, now she felt warm again. What was it about Ichigo? It always seemed like he could turn around impossible situations and make her feel protected.

She reached for him and hugged him tightly. His arms went around her again reassuringly. She sighed and relaxed. She would figure something out; find a way to explain the situation. And the best part was that she knew Ichigo would understand. He would give her time to explain, and then he would accept her with all her flaws. He would help her get through it. That was one of the best parts about loving him. She never had to fear she would step wrong and he would stop loving her; she never had to be afraid he would get angry at her. "I love you, Ichigo."

"I love you too, Orihime." There was a comfortable silence as they hugged. "Hey, I'll give you a ride to work now if you want. I've got my car with me." He knew she usually took the bus to work.

"Yeah, thanks, I'd love that. Give me a few minutes to get ready."

XxXxXxX

At the lab, she plunged into the reassuring familiarity of her work. She was working on tracing the paths of molecules through the nuclear pore complex, the gateway to the cell nucleus. The aperture was only 50 nanometers wide, and understanding transport through it was key to discovering how to access the genetic material in a cell's nuclear structure. Her work was exacting and absorbing, and many hours passed without the intrusion of disturbing emotions.

But late in the afternoon she was interrupted by the perky voice of Yachiru, the young mailroom intern. The girl bounced into the lab, pink hair flying, pushing the mail cart.

"Hey Orihime!" she called. "You've got mail! And with a handwritten address, no less."

Orihime stopped and looked at her with puzzlement as she took the letter. Her heart dropped as she recognized the handwriting.

Aizen.

Yachiru stopped on her way out of the lab to snag a piece of candy from the jar on the desk near the door. She waved jauntily at Orihime, who smiled back weakly.

Her hands trembling, she slid a finger under the flap of the letter and opened it. There was a thick piece of expensive stationary inside.

"My dearest Orihime," the letter began, "I can't begin to tell you what a wonderful time I had last night. I am profoundly grateful to you for your patience with me, and highly excited about the possibility of our ongoing collaboration. Would you be willing to continue our conversation at dinner tomorrow night? Thank you very much for your consideration. Affectionately, Sousuke."

No. She had been deluding herself all day, pretending nothing had happened, clinging to the foolish hope that Ichigo could rescue her from an impossible situation she hadn't even told him about. Yet, the arrival of this carefully worded letter made it very clear what lay in her future. Aizen had put his claim on her in writing. He was not going to let her go. She felt as though the bars of a jail cell were closing on her, and once again, she cursed her powerlessness, how she somehow always seemed to let others dictate her life.

But, she thought suddenly, perhaps she could turn that to her advantage. She knew she was valuable to Gotei. If she was too weak to defend herself, she might be able to enlist some corporate assistance. Perhaps the company could intervene on her behalf, keep her secrets off-limits from competitors. She could talk to the legal staff, ask that they run interference between her and Aizen.

As she began to think about this new possibility, she heard the door open, and Yamamoto entered the lab. Greeting him, she tried to order her thoughts, figure out what she could say to him. But he had that self-important look on his face that she saw during all-hands meetings when he was making announcements about the future of the company. "Orihime, I have good news. Las Noches is very interested in making an offer for the company. This could solve our cash flow problems and enable us to continue funding your research."

She let the arm holding the letter drop bonelessly to her side and just stared at him. He ignored her lack of response and continued, "They want to arrange a set of meetings with you and other members of the technical staff."

"But..." she protested, "I'm very busy right now, and more meetings would set back my work."

Yamamoto frowned at her. "Orihime, surely you understand that without additional funding, there will be no more work. You scientists need to learn that business concerns must trump technical considerations. You _will_ attend all these meetings, including any social gatherings proposed by Las Noches. Do you understand?"

Orihime dropped her gaze. "Yes, sir," she said. "I understand." He nodded curtly, then turned and left the lab. The door closed behind him with a soft "click" of finality.


	5. Chapter 5: Ichigo:Renji:Byakuya

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 5**

**by Sariniste  
**

**Characters in this chapter:** Ichigo, Renji, Byakuya.

* * *

Ichigo frowned and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he watched Orihime wave goodbye before she opened the glass doors to her building. He pulled the car away from the curb, deep in thought as he absently negotiated the morning rush-hour traffic. Something was wrong. He knew she wasn't telling him everything, and he didn't want to push her and make her feel uncomfortable. But his protective instincts had been aroused. Something bad had happened the night before, and he knew it had to do with her working late that evening.

He thought about it. How could he find out what was happening at Gotei? Then he grinned to himself. It had been a while since he'd had a drink with Renji Abarai and Byakuya Kuchiki, the most unlikely couple in the company. Renji worked in Shipping and Receiving, and Byakuya was a high-powered corporate attorney. When Ichigo first met them, they hated each other, even though they had to work together frequently. Renji was the union steward at Gotei, and Byakuya handled corporate relations with the union. They were constantly adversarial, Renji sniping at Byakuya as a high-class tight-ass, and Byakuya looking down his elegant nose at Renji, with his coarse speech, street-wise attitude, and muscular body covered in tattoos.

They had gotten together, surprising everybody, shortly after Byakuya got attacked by a knife-wielding mugger and ended up in the hospital. Ichigo had cluelessly blundered into a touching scene at the hospital in Byakuya's room. Renji later told Ichigo that it was when he saw Byakuya injured and close to death that he finally realized the depth of his true feelings for him. Renji had helped nurse Byakuya back to life, and had admitted to Ichigo that he was flabbergasted when he discovered Byakuya returned his feelings.

"I always thought I was like a stray dog howling at the moon… but somehow, underneath that cold and arrogant appearance of his, there beats the heart of a rebel." Renji had shaken his head ruefully. "I still don't really understand why he shacks up with me, but I'm not complaining."

Somehow, the two of them had stayed together despite general consensus that it wouldn't last. But they'd be the perfect sources of information for Ichigo with his question. Renji didn't take shit from anyone, and he had a list of friends a mile long. And Byakuya would know all the high-level corporate rumors. If he could get them together, Renji could probably persuade him to drop a few. Byakuya was still a little stiff with Ichigo. He didn't like the way Ichigo treated him familiarly and called him by his first name, not that he'd ever come right out and said anything directly. But Ichigo could tell that he was uptight about "respect." He grinned again inwardly. It was true that despite Byakuya's cold demeanor, he was surprisingly compassionate and cared about doing what was right, somewhat unusual in a corporate attorney. Renji had told him there had been a number of times when Byakuya had stood up for the union even when it appeared that he could have nailed them on a technicality.

After parking the car in the garage under the clinic, Ichigo flipped open his cell phone and dialed a number. "Renji? Hey, it's Ichigo… Do you and Byakuya have time for a beer after work? I need to talk with you about something important."

His friend's brash voice came over the phone loudly. "Sure, but better make it at Luna's so Byakuya can get something more high-class than beer. What's up?"

Ichigo smirked into the phone. "Right, Luna's. And, I'd rather tell you in person, okay?"

"Sure thing. See you then!"

He went into work feeling a bit better.

XxXxXxX

They met at the bar down the street that evening. It was already crowded with the after-work rush, and Renji, Byakuya, and Ichigo found a table at the far end of the room. Renji's bright red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and Byakuya looked elegant as always, if perhaps slightly bemused at being in the company of two scruffy-looking guys.

"So, what's up?" Renji asked. "You sounded worried on the phone."

"Yeah, it's about Orihime."

"What, has she finally come to her senses and backed out of this marrying you idea?" Renji teased.

"Shut up, you asshole," Ichigo growled. "No, I think something bad happened to her at work yesterday and I was wondering what was going on at Gotei." He looked over at Byakuya. "Have you heard anything worrisome recently?"

Byakuya sipped at his glass of sherry. "Although I can't divulge any corporate secrets, I suppose the takeover rumors are common knowledge."

"What?"

Renji added, "The scuttlebutt is that Gotei is in poor financial shape, and that they're trying to find a buyer. A number of companies have been sniffing around."

Byakuya frowned at Renji, then looked over at Ichigo. "I'm sure you know that Dr. Inoue's patents are a major source of revenue for the company, and it is said that her recent work is likely to be even more profitable."

"Could that be what's worrying Orihime? She hasn't said anything about it to me."

Renji hunched over his beer. "Well, Yamamoto's been setting out the bait, and the dogs are circling."

"I don't know if I like your analogies, Abarai."

Renji grinned. "Well, in any event, the rumor is that the most aggressive dog in the pack is Las Noches."

At Ichigo's blank stare, he said, "Haven't you heard of them?" When Ichigo shook his head, he glanced at Byakuya.

"Las Noches is a pharmaceutical and health care conglomerate," Byakuya stated. "They have a track record that is envied in the business, of purchasing and turning around failing companies, and of pulling off miraculous recoveries – some of which, I have to say, have relied heavily on luck. Events just seemed to go their way – or a string of bad luck happened to their competitors." He shook his head. "Although they are widely admired in the business world, they're somewhat mysterious on the inside. Upper management appears to operate on an ethical basis, but some of their corporate counsel have rather unsavory reputations."

Renji said, "They haven't treated their unions very well." He frowned at Byakuya, who quirked his lips in a very small smile.

"You have no evidence of that. They handled the disputes in a very straightforward manner and completely by the book."

"Yeah, they still managed to bust the union. And look what happened to Hiyori." Renji looked a bit disturbed.

Byakuya frowned at him. "Renji, spreading conspiracy theories is unbecoming of you."

"Wait, don't I remember that name?" asked Ichigo. "Wasn't she that friend of yours who had an accident?"

"Yeah," Renji said darkly, "She was leading the union drive at Las Noches when she was in a bad car crash. They thought she was going to die from her injuries, but she eventually pulled out. But she ended up completely paralyzed from the waist down."

"Renji, there was no evidence it was anything but an accident. Her blood alcohol level was above the legal limit, after all, and she lost control of her car going too fast on a winding road at night." Byakuya said patiently, with an air of having said this many times before.

"Hiyori swore to me she hadn't had anything to drink that night," Renji insisted.

Byakuya shook his head slightly.

"And I believe her!"

Byakuya sighed. "Renji, I find it very hard to believe that a reputable company like Las Noches would stoop to criminal actions. I just think you've been watching too many thrillers about union-busting and big bad corporations."

Ichigo interrupted their argument before it could derail his questions. "Do you think this Las Noches could be involved in anything that would worry Orihime?"

Byakuya considered his question. "Their CEO and several of their executives were in the Gotei offices yesterday, taking a tour of the facilities. I'm certain that would have included the laboratories. But I doubt that anything would have been said directly to Dr. Inoue."

Renji grinned. "Yeah. They even came by the loading docks and spent some time chatting with us. They were pretty friendly for corporate bigwigs. I was kind of amazed. But they actually seemed pretty nice, at least the guy who talked to me."

Byakuya glanced at Renji in surprise. "They came by Shipping and Receiving? What did they ask about? And whom did you speak with?"

The other man shrugged. "I didn't catch his name. But," he leered slyly at Byakuya, "he was almost as good-looking as you. Tall, well-built, nice eyes." Byakuya looked supremely unconcerned as the redhead continued to needle him. "Very sexy voice, and nice thick brown hair, with a hunk of it hanging in his face." He grinned at the other man. "I kept wanting to brush it out of his eyes."

"Wait." Byakuya narrowed his eyes at the description. "Sousuke Aizen spoke to you? What did he want?"

"Sousuke Aizen!" Both Renji and Byakuya looked up in surprise when Ichigo pushed back from the table so suddenly he knocked his chair over. "What does he have to do with this? Does he work for Las Noches?" Ichigo shouted in shock and anger.

Byakuya raised his eyebrows, clearly not happy that Ichigo was making a scene. "More like the other way around. He's the CEO."

Ichigo was still on his feet, his hands balled into fists. "If it's the same Sousuke Aizen I knew, he's likely to be the problem we're talking about. I knew the bastard back in high school."

"Why don't you sit down, Ichigo," the black-haired attorney said calmly. "It must be a different person. I know Aizen, and he's a perfect gentleman. Quite a nice fellow, actually. But extremely clever, and very skilled at obtaining useful information on his acquisition targets. If he was talking to Renji, he probably had an agenda behind all of his questions, which is why I'd like to know the subject of his inquiries," he said pointedly to Renji.

Ichigo righted his chair but was still scowling furiously. "I'm sure it's him. Doesn't sound like he's changed much. Slick on the outside, but trouble follows him around wherever he goes. Somehow somebody else always gets blamed for the damage." He couldn't remember being this angry in years.

Byakuya said coolly, "Aizen has an impeccable reputation now, whatever you may say about his past. He has admitted to 'youthful indiscretions' but –"

"Indiscretions!" Ichigo snorted. "Whatever he was doing, it was a lot worse than that."

"What, exactly, do you accuse him of?"

"Well," Ichigo hesitated. It was true that he only had suspicions about Aizen's behavior, and there had always seemed to be a reasonable explanation for whatever happened. He thought back over all the times he had interacted with Aizen or had heard rumors about his doings. There was never really any firm evidence. But at the time, Ichigo and all his friends had been convinced that Aizen was up to no good. "I, uh, think he cheated in the school election." Byakuya raised his eyebrows at that, and Ichigo flushed. "I was running against him for senior class president, and nobody seemed to be voting for him. He wasn't even trying to campaign, and I was working my ass off to win votes. But when the results came out, he had won in a landslide. It was like he didn't have to lift a finger to just stop me in my tracks." Byakuya was looking more and more skeptical, and Ichigo had to agree, the way he was telling the story made it look like sour grapes on his part. "And there were a bunch of scandals that Aizen seemed to be at the center of, but somehow he always got away scot-free."

Byakuya looked amused. "Really, Ichigo, this hardly seems like a damning indictment of the man."

Renji was grinning too. "How could somebody that good-looking be as evil as you say?"

"Hmmph." Ichigo subsided, then scowled. "There's something else. He used to date Orihime… and I think she's afraid of him for some reason. She doesn't talk much about him, but when she does, she gets this look on her face…"

Renji burst out laughing and Byakuya's lips twitched upward in a small smile. "So that's it," chortled Renji. "You're jealous, Ichigo."

"No, of course not!" Ichigo shouted. He frowned fiercely at his friends. "I just want to protect Orihime."

Byakuya sobered. "Ichigo, I'm certain that Aizen, whatever your history with him, will not do anything to jeopardize Las Noches' legal position here. He would be foolish to take any actions that could damage his standing. He is likely simply to proceed with the takeover. Of course, any deal might not end up being advantageous to Dr. Inoue."

"I should just tell her to quit," muttered Ichigo.

"But she'd have to give up her research if she went elsewhere. The company holds the patents to all her work. And I have to admit that Gotei has some fairly ironclad non-compete agreements." He said the last a touch smugly, and Ichigo suspected he had written some of them. "Are you sure Dr. Inoue would be happy with that?"

"No," sighed Ichigo.

"I'm certain she'll be fine, even after a takeover. Any purchaser, Las Noches or anyone else, would value her work. They'll treat her well."

"Yeah, and keep her captive," grumbled Ichigo. He still thought Orihime should have gone out on her own. However, she had argued that the cost of setting up a lab made it necessary for her to work for a large organization. Ichigo sighed. It seemed to be getting more and more necessary for scientists to sell their souls to some corporation in order to survive. He had thought once of going into research with Orihime. He had some ideas for practical applications of her work that he wanted to try out. But thinking about it today, he was once again glad he had decided to go into patient care instead of medical research. He didn't always like the decisions the clinic operators made, but at least he was still independent and could always leave if he wanted. And they tended to leave the day-to-day patient care decisions to him with no micromanaging. He didn't feel like they owned him, the way it sometimes seemed like her corporate bosses owned Orihime. The worst part was that she went ahead and allowed them to do it. He sighed again. She really needed someone to protect her.

"I should get her a lawyer," he said.

Byakuya glanced at him. "That might not be a bad idea." He hesitated for a moment and then continued. "This is off-the-record, but I would recommend that she watch out for Las Noches' legal team, in particular an attorney named Ulquiorra Schiffer. He's brilliant, emotionless, and always goes for the kill." He looked sternly at Ichigo. "Don't try anything, or encourage Dr. Inoue to do anything, that could be construed as illegal. I'm certain that Las Noches won't step over the line of legality, but they're quite skilled at taking advantage of every possible loophole in the legal system." He shook his head. "They've taken down some pretty big opponents."

Ichigo frowned, then drained the rest of his beer. "Well, I don't care how big or important any of them are. If they try to hurt Orihime, I'll beat them. I'll defeat their legal team, and I'll even take down Aizen." There was firm resolve in his voice, as Renji and Byakuya exchanged glances.

"Well, just be careful, Ichigo. These are some pretty powerful people you're going up against."

"Do you think that matters to me when Orihime is concerned? I'm going to protect her no matter what. Not because I'm convinced I'm stronger than them, but because… I have to."


	6. Chapter 6: Orihime:Aizen

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 6**

**by Sariniste  
**

**Characters:** Orihime and Aizen

**A/N:** Those butterfly wings started giving me ideas!

* * *

Orihime looked up from her lab bench when Yamamoto came in the door. Her eyes were burning with fatigue. She had worked late last night and had come in very early in the morning. It was now 6 PM on a Friday, and she thought most of the employees had gone home for the weekend. But she was making progress on her research, and given the company's uncertain financial state, she felt she needed to make as much progress as she could before it was too late.

As she looked at the door, her heart clenched. Accompanying Yamamoto was Aizen, casually elegant in a white silk shirt and neatly pressed black slacks. She tore her eyes away from him. Then she remembered with a sinking feeling that Aizen had asked her to dinner tonight. She had not responded to his letter, but she knew Yamamoto would want her to go out with him again.

She stood up as they came over to her bench. "Good evening, Yamamoto-san, Aizen-san." She kept her eyes lowered, not wanting to look Aizen in the face.

"Still hard at work, eh, Orihime?" Yamamoto commented. "Aizen-san tells me you two are having dinner tonight. He's come to pick you up. But you have a few minutes if you wish to show him around the lab."

The tone of his voice indicated it was a command. Orihime lifted her eyes. "Yes, sir."

Aizen stepped forward and took her hand with a small, amused smile on his face. He bowed slightly over the handclasp. "Greetings, Orihime." He pulled over a chair and sat on it as the old man left the lab.

She started washing up the glassware. Aizen watched her careful, precise movements in silence.

"Orihime," he began in his rich voice, "I've been looking forward to this evening."

"Yes, Aizen-san," she said tonelessly.

He smiled. "Indeed, I've planned something special for tonight. I very much hope you'll enjoy it." He watched as she gathered her purse and hesitated over bringing her jacket. "You had better bring a jacket. It might get a bit breezy where we're going."

Waiting for the elevator, she was surprised when he pressed the up button. He glanced at her and raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. Orihime thought to herself stubbornly, he wants me to ask what he's doing, so I won't say a word.

They entered the elevator in silence. Aizen inserted a key card in the slot authorizing access to the executive floors. They rode all the way to the executive suite at the penthouse level. When the doors opened, Aizen held them and motioned her to exit first.

She had never been to this restricted-access floor. The deep red carpeting felt rich and soft beneath her feet, and the lighting was subdued, coming from elegant fixtures on the walls rather than overhead fluorescents as in the rest of the building. Suddenly nervous, she turned to look at Aizen. "I thought we were going out for dinner. I didn't think there were any restaurants on this level."

His look of amusement deepened. "Oh, we are going out. And no, we're not staying on this level."

Puzzled, she followed him to a door in the hallway. He opened it to reveal a staircase leading up. "Please," he murmured, "after you."

The stairs were labeled, "Roof Access." He unlocked the door at the top with his card key, and they stepped out onto the roof of the skyscraper. Wind suddenly buffeted Orihime, blowing her long hair across her face. There was a helicopter sitting in a white painted circle at the center of the roof. Aizen led her towards it.

He opened the door and seated her in the front passenger seat. "Where's the pilot?" she asked in a hesitant voice.

He smiled at her. "I am. I hold commercial rotorcraft and fixed wing pilot licenses. Don't look so surprised," he added as she stared at him. "I've been gainfully employing my time in the years we've been apart."

He walked around the aircraft, looking it over briefly, and then took the pilot's seat next to her. He showed her how to buckle her harness, and then leaned over her to place a headset over her ears. His touch was gentle as he inquired if it was comfortable, and she nodded. She sat stiffly, looking out at the view beyond the windshield. She was terrified. She had never been in a helicopter before, but she had heard many stories about how dangerous they were.

He started the engine, and the rotor blades began whirling above their heads, the noise muffled by the headset she wore. After a few moments, as Aizen manipulated various controls on the dashboard, she felt the helicopter slowly lift off the ground and hover a foot above the roof. She clutched the sides of her seat, feeling sudden panic in her stomach.

His voice came over the headset intercom. "Are you ready? I'm going to contact air traffic control now."

She nodded stiffly, hardly daring to move.

"City Approach, Bell Five Alpha Sierra departing helipad Golf One Three. Request transition your area to the south."

The building suddenly dropped away beneath them and Orihime gasped. There was a window below her feet, and the view between her shoes was mesmerizing. They were still below the top of the tallest buildings in the city. She looked down on the rush-hour traffic and out at the buildings laid out in orderly rows to the sea, where the setting sun blazed a brilliant path along the water.

Aizen glanced over at her and smiled broadly. He had one hand on the control stick between his legs and the other on a long handle between their seats, and seemed completely relaxed. Orihime had no idea what he was doing, but the helicopter banked smoothly to the left and headed toward the mountains. They were still low over the city. Orihime had never flown this close to the ground before, and she was amazed at how much she could see. Lights were beginning to come on inside some of the offices, and she could see people working through the windows. She could practically recognize their faces as they rushed by.

The sensation of speed was incredible. She pressed her face to the side window to see more.

Aizen's voice sounded in her ears. "Do you like it?"

She turned to face him. She was shaking, but almost against her will, a small smile had crept onto her face. He met her eyes and grinned back. Then his eyes lit up with mischief. "Wait till you see this."

He turned forward again. "Approach, Bell Five Alpha Sierra departing your airspace. Request frequency change."

The controller's voice crackled in the headsets. "Five Alpha Sierra, frequency change approved. Squawk VFR. Good day."

Aizen glanced at her and adjusted several knobs on the dashboard. "We're off their radar now," he said.

Abruptly, he moved the controls forward and the helicopter dived at the ground. Orihime yelped as they gained speed. She could see the water of the river ahead.

Then they were skimming low over the surface of the water, detouring around a sailboat. Orihime opened her mouth in shock, but didn't dare to make a sound. She sat frozen in her seat. A quick sidelong glance at Aizen showed him gazing intently ahead, with no change to his normally calm visage. He was barely moving the controls, but he seemed completely in command of the powerful machine. She peered down at the water which seemed only a few feet away. Then she looked up and couldn't prevent a cry from escaping her lips. There was a bridge ahead, and they were on a direct collision course with its suspension cables. Was he trying to commit suicide?

"Watch," he said as he dropped the helicopter even closer to the river's surface. Orihime lifted her hands to her head. What was going to happen? She wondered if she should grab the controls and knew she didn't dare. Then with a rush, she realized that they were going to fly _under_ the bridge. It didn't look like there was enough room for them to fit, though. Unconsciously, she ducked her head and pulled her arms into her body.

She saw a corner of his mouth twist up into a calm smile. "Here we go," he said as they dived under the bridge and out the other side in an instant. Orihime had a sudden glimpse of a shocked pedestrian's face as they passed by at a hundred miles an hour. Then they were through and hurtling upward, banking to the right. Orihime felt heavy in her seat, her heart pounding in terror and excitement. Aizen glanced at her again and smirked. Her body felt like it was going to melt into the seat. She was weak and shaking, but she defiantly managed a small return smile.

They flew on through the darkening evening towards the mountains.

XxXxXxX

Orihime lifted another forkful of lobster salad to her lips and looked out at the breathtaking panorama of city lights spread out below them. They were sitting on a blanket on a grassy, open hilltop to the south of the city. Behind them the helicopter sat ticking at the crown of the hill. There was no helipad; Aizen had simply selected one of the uninhabited hillocks and set the craft down gently on the grass, then pulled out an extravagant picnic from the cargo compartment.

The wind rose and she shivered. Aizen moved closer and placed an arm around her shoulders. She didn't resist. She had to admit it was a very romantic picnic spot. Even the food tasted far better than what she usually ate on picnics.

"Orihime," Aizen breathed in her ear. He took the fork from her hand and knelt in front of her, stroking her face. When his hands moved to the buttons of her blouse, she made no move to stop him. She still felt weak from the dive under the bridge. Besides, what was the point in resisting? She had already given herself to him willingly two nights ago.

He touched her ever so gently and she felt a deep tingling spread all over her body. She sighed and lifted her arms to him, and he turned into her embrace, murmuring her name again. His face was a pale oval in the dim light, the curl of hair dangling in front of his eyes. She brushed it away and he caught her hand and kissed her fingers.

The last of the evening light was fading. In the darkness Orihime breathed shallowly and tried to stop herself from thinking. There was nothing she could do. She belonged to him now.


	7. Chapter 7: Ichigo:Orihime

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 7**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters in this chapter: **Ichigo and Orihime

* * *

Orihime was working in her lab when Ichigo walked in. She looked up with a guilty flush on her cheeks, then ran over to hug him. "Oh, hi, Ichigo!" she said brightly. "What are you doing here?"

Ichigo held her out at arms' length and scrutinized her closely. She flushed again. "What's wrong, Ichigo? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I've been worried about you, 'Hime," he said. "You haven't been returning my calls, and … you don't look well." He peered closely at her face. "The sclera of your eyes is discolored. Have you been exposed to any unusual agents in the lab recently?"

Orihime pulled away from him and looked down. "I'm sorry about not returning your calls. I've been so busy at work… but no, nothing different in the lab."

"I want to run some tests on you, just in case, OK? I'm worried about your exposure to all of those chemicals you have to use."

She shook her head, still not looking at him. "I'm fine, Ichigo, really. There's no need."

"So you won't object to some precautionary testing then." He stood up. "Come on. It'll do you good to get outdoors for a while. I hear you've been putting in 80-hour weeks. That can't be good for you." He picked up her jacket and handed it to her. He was glad he had come. Something was definitely wrong.

XxXxXxX

Once in his clinic, Orihime seemed to be more her usual self, chattering about her latest cooking experiment and looking directly into his eyes. Ichigo had her roll up her sleeve as he drew a sample of her blood.

"There," he said. "I'll just get a couple of tests going and we can grab a bite for lunch." He squeezed a few drops of liquid from a pipette into one of the test tubes of blood and put it in a centrifuge, and inserted the others into slots in various pieces of equipment.

"Oh, I don't know if I have time for lunch…" Orihime objected.

"Yes, you do," Ichigo insisted. "You need to get away from there, and I need to talk to you."

Orihime looked down again. "Oh, OK then. I guess I should talk to you too."

They walked down the street to the sandwich place and grabbed a small table in a quiet corner. "Now," said Ichigo. "First, I'd like to talk to you about what's going on at your company, and then I'd like you to tell me what's on your mind, why you've been avoiding me."

"I haven't been avoiding you. I've just been busy."

"Well, as to that. I've been hearing a lot of rumors about Gotei being a takeover target. I hear you've had buyers coming through for a couple of weeks." He watched her carefully. She was avoiding his eyes again, and he noted the flush to her cheeks.

"Yes, a number of visitors have been to the lab. It has been distracting."

"I hear there's one in particular who has been very persistent. Sousuke Aizen."

He wasn't prepared for the shock that appeared to go through her entire body. She froze, and then tears started welling up from her eyes and slipping down her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes tightly closed and turned away to retrieve a tissue from her purse. She continued to cry silently, not saying a word.

"Orihime, what's wrong? What has he been doing? Has he threatened you?" Ichigo demanded, upset that his suspicions had been proven right.

"No, no," she shook her head. "Ichigo, it's worse than that. I… "

"Worse than threatening you?" he inquired, raising his eyebrows.

"Ichigo, he hasn't done anything. It's my fault. I'm the one who's done something wrong." She began to sob softly.

"Whoa, wait a minute. I don't believe that. I remember how tricky he could be." He tried to sound as reassuring as he could be, as she was clearly on the edge.

"No. Ichigo." She turned to look at him fully, and there was resolve in her eyes. "I have to be honest with you. I've done something very wrong, Ichigo… I've… betrayed you."

"What?" He was puzzled. "I don't have anything to do with the corporate takeover – you don't have to worry about that."

Her eyes were wide and fixed on his. "No. Sousuke has been coming by the lab to talk about my work, but then…" she hesitated, "he has also been inviting me out after work as well."

Sousuke? Ichigo frowned. "What has he been saying to you?"

"Ichigo, you don't understand. It's not what he's been saying. It's what I've been doing." She twisted the tissue in her hands. "Ichigo, I've slept with him. Twice." An agonized look crossed her face as Ichigo paled in shock. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! The first night, I… I think I drank too much. But then…" she broke down crying again.

"But 'Hime, why?" Ichigo was almost too bewildered to be angry. "I thought you didn't trust him, that you were through with him… Do you still love him?"

"No!" she burst out. "No. I still love you. But obviously I don't deserve you. I'm sorry. I was going to call you, to… to return the ring. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I know… I know you're going to be angry with me, and I deserve it." She was crying again, and Ichigo was shaking his head in disbelief and hurt.

"'Hime, I'd never be angry with you," he said gently, moving his chair over to her side of the table and putting an arm around her shoulders. "If you want to be with him, then, well…" he trailed off. "But, I guess I just don't understand. Don't you know what kind of a person he is?"

"Yes!" She pulled away angrily. "Of course I know what he's like. That just makes it worse! I'm somehow attracted to him even though I know exactly what he's like. I've known it ever since high school."

"But… do you want to be with him?"

"No, I want to be with you! I love you, Ichigo! But obviously I can't resist him… there's something wrong with me… and it's not fair to you. You deserve someone good, someone faithful. I'm…" She looked down at her hands, twisting in her lap. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm no better than my mother."

"No way, Orihime," Ichigo cried, "You're nothing like her. You're a good, kind, decent person."

She looked directly at him, her eyes blazing with shame. "No! I'm obviously nothing of the sort! I'm the sort of woman who would sleep with Sousuke Aizen whenever he crooks his little finger. I couldn't resist him. I went to him willingly!" she cried, then dropped her eyes. "You don't deserve that, and… And, I don't want to put children of mine through what Sora and I had to go through."

"Wait, wait, wait," Ichigo said. "You're really jumping to conclusions here, just from a couple of nights…"

"Ichigo, I slept with him. Don't you get it? I had thought that I was completely in love with you, and had no feelings whatsoever for him. Then we spent one night together and I'm jumping all over him as though we were never apart! What kind of a person does that make me? How can you ever trust me again?" she said bitterly, two red spots high on her cheeks.

"I still trust you. I still love you! Don't _you_ understand? If you don't love him, why don't you just refuse to see him again?"

"No! That's the worst part of it. He's buying my company, don't you see? I can't get away from him. He'll come after me again. He wants to own me, to own me and my work, and this is how he's doing it."

"You can quit! You can get away. You don't have to just give in!" Ichigo shouted. "Don't give in to him."

She started crying again. "Ichigo, I have to go. I have to go back to work. The lunch hour's over."

"No, Orihime, we're not done talking!"

"Well, then let's do it later. I need to go." She got up and walked to the door. "Goodbye, Ichigo." He heard the tears in her voice. "It's for the best this way."

"Damn it, Orihime, I won't let you do this!" Ichigo shouted and chased after her.

XxXxXxX

After a frustrating and unhappy walk back to her building, Ichigo returned to the clinic. He sat for a moment, scowling at the equipment in his lab. He was trying to decide whether he was more hurt or more angry. Finally, he sighed and decided to finish the lab tests on Orihime's blood work. He was sure he could win her back. It couldn't be over like this.

He sighed, thinking about how Orihime seemed to always be trapping herself in unhealthy situations. Orihime was so intelligent in her work, but so clueless in practical matters. Perhaps part of it stemmed from her childhood, or the demons that still chased her from those days; her mother had been a whore and her father a drunk. Ichigo knew that her parents had beaten and sexually abused her. She had had a miserable life until her older brother took her away from her parents... and they had lived together happily until he died in a car accident. Ichigo knew that she still thought of herself as worthless deep in her heart. It pained him greatly, to see someone so kind, interesting, and intelligent cutting herself down at every turn. But he had hoped to change all that. He still hoped to protect her.

He growled to himself in anger. He was sure Aizen had somehow manipulated her into this situation. Aizen knew her well from high school and was very good at using his understanding of human nature to get people into psychological traps. Well, Ichigo thought, he was just going to have to get her out of Aizen's trap. He was going to rescue her. He continued working mechanically on the lab tests, his mind distracted with thoughts of Orihime. It certainly couldn't help her think clearly if she was being contaminated by chemicals in the lab.

It took nearly an hour for him to get the final results. He stared at them in disbelief, then punched in Orihime's number on his cell phone. She didn't answer.

"Shit!" he said, then grabbed his jacket to run over to her lab.

XxXxXxX

"Orihime!" he cried, bursting into her lab. Fortunately, she was alone, working away with a kind of desperation in her eyes.

"Ichigo..." she said in a faint voice, turning to look at him with those big, innocent eyes.

"I have your lab test results... Orihime, did you know you've been drugged?"

"What?"

"Your blood shows traces of a number of fairly complicated contaminants... but not the ones you normally use in your work. Have you been eating or drinking anything from a questionable source?"

She gazed at him in shock, not moving.

"For example," he said pointedly, "did you take anything from Aizen's hands? Did he have any opportunity to put anything in it?"

She shook her head slowly. "You're surely not saying that he slipped something into my drink and drugged me?" Her voice was incredulous. "I can't believe even he would do something like that. Are you sure your test results are correct?"

"Look." He sat down beside her and showed her the sheaf of papers. "I ran all the tests twice. This one clearly shows the presence of arkylonine." At her blank look, he continued, "It's a hypnotic, similar to gamma hydroxybutyrate but more selective in the receptors it targets. Plus there's evidence of ilphenic amide in your basal plasma."

"What's that?"

He looked sidelong at her, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you a chemist, Orihime? Aren't you supposed to know these things?"

She sighed in exasperation. "Ichigo, you know that's not my area. Human blood chemistry is your field."

"Well, it has effects on volition, memory, and coordination. It might make you more amenable to suggestion, more emotionally confused. Both of these are fairly new designer drugs, and I haven't seen them on the streets much yet... but there were reports of them being used as date rape drugs. What's more - " he paused and looked at her intently, "the only company that manufactures both of these drugs is... Las Noches."

She sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. "You mean..."

"Yes. I think Aizen slipped you something on one or both of your 'dates.' It's not your fault at all, Orihime. You were wrong to think you went to him willingly. He took advantage of you." Ichigo scowled at Orihime with ferocity. "I'm not going to let that happen any more."


	8. Chapter 8: Ichigo:Aizen

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 8**

**by Sariniste  
**

**Characters:** Ichigo and Aizen

**Warning:** one-sided AiIchi in this chapter, nothing too explicit though.

* * *

Ichigo was in a towering rage as he ran out of the lab. One single thought had taken over his mind: to attack the bastard who had kidnapped and drugged his fiancée, and brought her to the brink of despair. He had never been so utterly furious. He knew he was usually protective of his friends and family, but in this case the strike had been unbelievably heinous, and had been directed at the one he held most dear.

He hailed a cab and gave the driver the address of Las Noches Corporation. The cabbie took one look at the scowling orange-haired man and decided he needed to get his customer to his destination as fast as possible.

Ichigo wasn't even sure exactly what he was going to do. He didn't have a plan of action. All he could sense underneath the anger was a ferocious resolve to barge into their corporate headquarters, fight off any security he encountered, and not stop until he had reached Sousuke Aizen's private office and had throttled his old high school classmate personally. He acknowledged that he wasn't being rational, but this was beyond rational. It was something he _had to do._

Once in the glass-and-chrome corporate lobby of the Las Noches building, he paused to take a breath and look around him. The architecture of the lobby was dramatic, variations on a theme of white and silver, culminating in a sculpture of three-story-tall mirrors in the center of the room. Over it all arched a domed ceiling soaring to at least fifty feet above the floor, glittering with swathes of light and odd shadows in shapes like twisted clouds. The effect was disorienting, and Ichigo looked around in confusion for a minute.

Something about the huge lobby was disturbing. It was as if perspective and scale had been deliberately distorted. All the structures were oddly elongated in the vertical: chairs with absurdly high backs were placed on raised platforms with no means of access. Everything seemed to be designed above human scale, and it made the crowds of people scurrying about the lobby look small, somehow pitiful, as though they didn't belong. For a moment, Ichigo was almost convinced he saw rodents or ants scampering around a domain built for beings somehow grander than humans.

Ichigo shook his head irritably. He wasn't usually given to such flights of fancy. Surely the lobby had simply been designed by some brash young architect trying to make his mark on the world and going a little too far. His hatred of Aizen must have been leading him to read too much into the design. It could not be that the effect was intentional or as unpleasant as it appeared to him at the moment.

He needed to get moving before someone noticed him gaping like an idiot. Looking around one more time, he realized that there were several elevators located in the mirrored structure, and that a steady stream of people were entering and departing the elevators. Off to one side, there was a receptionist's desk with a dramatic backdrop: the Las Noches logo of a reversed crescent moon in what looked like ivory laid out in bas-relief on a wall of onyx. It looked expensive and overbearing, again on that grand scale. Ichigo snorted.

Well, he wasn't going to bother with the receptionist. He moved towards the elevators and attempted to blend in with the stream of people going to work.

XxXxXxX

At the top of the same building, on the sixty-sixth floor, twelve men and a woman sat around a long mahogany conference table in a hushed boardroom with walls of windows on two sides. A white expanse of deep plush carpet extended to the windows overlooking the lesser buildings all around them. At the head of the table, a tall, brown-haired man with one curl of hair hanging over his forehead was addressing the others. At his right, a slender, black-haired man with brilliant emerald eyes gazed down at some papers on the table, his back ramrod-straight. Across from him, lounging apparently casually against the tall white back of his chair, a blue-haired man scowled.

The man at the head of the table paused in his discourse to look down at a screen set flush with the tabletop. A small smile quirked his lips. "It seems we've been invaded," he said in a calm voice. The others looked up. "I'll pipe the video over to your screens," he said, "but first, let's have some tea."

XxXxXxX

Ichigo walked with a purposeful air down one of the corridors on an upper floor. He was searching for a stairway or elevator to reach the very highest floors, but trying not to look like he didn't know where he was going. So far, no one had stopped him, perhaps being put off by his air of determination or his fierce scowl. But he suspected it was only a matter of time before someone asked him his purpose.

Well, whatever. He was ready for them. He saw a set of gleaming teak double doors at the end of one of the corridors. That looked like it led somewhere important. He turned in that direction, striding grimly toward the security guard sitting in a chair in front of the doors.

The man started to get up, asking for ID, but Ichigo was too fast for him. Before the man was even half out of the chair, Ichigo had decked him with a right uppercut. The man's eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped backwards, half falling out of his seat. Ichigo grabbed the card key the man wore chained to his belt. Then he saw the gun. He hesitated a moment, then picked it up and slid it into the band of his jeans. Better to have some kind of weapon in this nest of vipers. He slipped the key card through the slot at the door, and pushed them open. Inside, another corridor stretched out before him, carpeted in white.

"Somebody sure likes white," Ichigo muttered as he strode past the expanse of white walls with mirrored sconces laid out in regular intervals. Up ahead, he saw two more security guards standing in front of another doorway. He growled to himself and approached them.

XxXxXxX

The executives of Las Noches sipped their tea and watched the scene on the video screens set into the conference table surface. The displays all showed an orange-haired young man with a ferocious scowl on his face, marching resolutely down a white corridor.

Aizen said quietly, "That is our invader. Dr. Ichigo Kurosaki."

The blue-haired man standing at the foot of the table laughed. "He looks like a weak kid."

"Don't underestimate him," said Aizen, setting his cup of tea down on its saucer with a gentle clink. "He's the doctor who found a practical use for the Zangetsu process. A brilliant researcher…" his tone became slightly mocking, "now throwing his talents away working in the neighborhood free clinic, delivering the babies of the indigent and diagnosing scabies in the poor."

"Why is he coming here?"

Aizen smiled, "For some reason, he seems to believe we have … objectionable… designs on his fiancée, Dr. Orihime Inoue." The other men laughed.

"So he's come to rescue his girlfriend," sneered a black-haired man with a pinched nose.

The blue-haired man started for the door. "I'll get security right on it. We'll stop him."

"No," Aizen commanded softly. "Grimmjow, I want him to get through. As a matter of fact, I'd like a path cleared for him… directly to my executive office."

"But –" Grimmjow gaped in shock. "You can't let him do that! It would be a disaster for corporate safety measures, and as the head of security, I'm going to stop him now." He spun angrily and strode toward the conference room doors.

"Grimmjow, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I said that I want him to get through." Aizen pressed a button on the control panel under the end of the table, and the conference doors locked with an audible click. Grimmjow, trying to exit, rattled the handle ineffectually, then turned back to face Aizen, breathing hard.

"What do you want me to do?" the man asked in a defiant tone, but he lowered his eyes in acknowledgment of defeat.

"Remain at your station, and monitor his progress. Let me know when he is approaching my office. I will be waiting for him there," Aizen said softly.

"All right, if that's what you want, but it's against my recommendations."

"Don't be alarmed. I have arrangements in place to deal with him. Everything is going according to plan."

XxXxXxX

Ichigo skidded around one more corner to find himself in front of an administrative alcove before a set of heavy, impressive-looking doors. He nodded in grim satisfaction. Aizen's office, finally. He was still holding the security guard's gun, and he pointed it a bit wildly at the terrified secretary. She screamed and ducked under her desk.

"Is he in there?" he demanded. He leaned over the desk to glare at the woman, who gave a frightened whimper and nodded.

Ichigo moved forward and pushed open the broad office door. He stepped inside, still holding the gun. The office was huge, with a sixteen-foot ceiling and expansive stretches of (of course) white woolen plush carpet. The office appeared to take up half of the top floor of the building. A huge mahogany desk was set against the window, which looked out on a dramatic view of the city spread out below. In a tall armchair with his back to the floor-to-ceiling windows sat Sousuke Aizen, smiling calmly.

"Welcome, Ichigo. It's been a long time," he said quietly.

Ichigo growled and advanced on Aizen grimly, gun in hand. He slapped at what felt like an insect bite at the back of his neck. "Now, you're gonna listen to me, you bastard. I know you drugged Orihime and took advantage of her. I want you to stay away from her!" He stopped suddenly, feeling dizzy. His vision seemed to blur, and the hand holding the gun felt weak. What was happening?

Aizen had risen from behind the desk and was looking at him curiously with a gentle smile on his face.

Ichigo felt his knees give way and he fell to the floor. "You… bastard…" he whispered. "How…?" The insect sting, he realized. He had been drugged as well... he had to try to stay conscious... he tried to lift the gun, but his eyes closed and all went dark.

XxXxXxX

Ichigo first became aware of intense discomfort in his thumbs, which seemed to be tied together behind his back. Then he became aware he was lying on his stomach on what looked like a white satin couch. His arms and legs were secured together behind him, his knees bent. He felt like a trussed-up chicken, lying with his face mashed into the fabric of the couch. He could feel one foot trapped behind the other leg, which was bent so that his foot pressed against his bound thumbs. He found that he couldn't move.

With effort, he managed to raise his head a little and saw Aizen relaxing across from him in a comfortable-looking matching white armchair.

"So you're back with us, Ichigo."

"What have you done to me, you asshole? Did you drug me too?" Ichigo strained at his bonds, but stopped at a renewed burst of pain from his bound thumbs.

"I apologize for the necessity of binding you this way. However, brandishing my security guard's gun at me was hardly conducive to an agreeable conversation." Aizen smiled pleasantly. "I would suggest that you keep still." The brown-haired man held up a twelve-inch length of twine. "This technique is known as the 'thumb-tie.' It's an old martial arts trick. With a few inches of string, I can restrain a man more securely than with a set of handcuffs." He stood up from his chair and approached Ichigo, settling himself on the couch beside him and gazing at his helpless captive with satisfaction. "And the more you move, the tighter the restraint becomes." He gently stroked Ichigo's thumbs as the orange-haired man froze. "I suggest you be very careful about any movement you make. I wouldn't want you to develop gangrene from loss of circulation."

Ichigo held very still, but glared at his captor with ferocity. "Aizen! How dare you do this! You drugged Orihime; you've tied me up – this is all so illegal. Whatever happened to being on the right side of the law?"

Aizen returned his glare with a tranquil smile. "Really, Ichigo, you're the one who is in violation of the law. You trespassed on my property, assaulted my security guards, threatened me with a gun…" He pursed his lips. "My lawyers would say, at the very least, assault and battery, attempted murder…" he sighed, "…and it's all on my security videos… You will be in jail for a long time, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Untie me, you bastard," ground out Ichigo. "You wouldn't dare go to the cops. Not with your record."

"Wouldn't I?" replied Aizen calmly. "My record is completely clean these days." He smiled. "I am, as a matter of fact, a leading citizen. I socialize with congressmen, senators, and attorneys general. My innovative program for rescuing youth from the tragedy of gang warfare has received multiple plaudits and national awards."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and shouted, "What does that mean, you hire members of your old gang to work in your company now? Doing the same things they always did, like murder and extortion?"

Looking serene and unruffled, Aizen replied, "Such harsh criticism, Ichigo. But…" he murmured, "I suppose I can tell you the truth now that there is nothing you can do to me. As a matter of fact, yes. I hire former gang members, put them to work in… shall we say… a subsidiary of my company, performing tasks I deem necessary which may be somewhat… unusual." He leaned forward until his face was inches from the other man's, then reached out a hand to stroke his cheek. Ichigo flinched at his touch. "And the best part, Ichigo? I pay them with government funding, showered upon me by a grateful administration, deeply obliged to me for my charitable work." He sighed in mock humility.

Ichigo snarled at him and couldn't help straining more and tightening his bonds. He gasped in pain. "You're even more despicable than I thought, you dirty son of a bitch!" he spat.

Aizen's eyes glittered with amusement at the fury in Ichigo's face. He began gently running his hand through Ichigo's hair as the other man squirmed. "You're truly so delightful. I wonder why I haven't brought you in before?" he mused as he continued to caress his captive. Ichigo's eyes darkened.

"What are you insinuating?" he yelled.

"Only this," Aizen whispered, moving closer until his lips were grazing Ichigo's ear. "I have been studying you for a long time, and all your recent actions have been completely under my control."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You see, I drugged Orihime for more than one reason," he murmured, lips still close to Ichigo's ear, one hand curled lightly around Ichigo's neck, as the other man struggled ineffectually to pull away. "It wasn't only to help bring her under my control. I knew you would discover the truth. Why do you think I used compounds that were solely manufactured by Las Noches? I also knew that as soon as you did, you would cease thinking rationally. Your anger at my cavalier treatment of your fiancée led directly to your rash actions of this afternoon. You're so hot-headed and predictable, Ichigo," he breathed, his hands slipping under the shirt of his immobilized captive.

"Get your hands off of me, you pervert!" Ichigo yelled.

Aizen ignored him and continued with his gentle caresses. "Now, of course, you have played completely into my hands. I could make a complaint to the police at any time. And then you - " he paused and gazed directly at Ichigo, letting his words sink in, "...end up in prison…"

"Fine," shouted Ichigo. "Go ahead and try! I'll make such a stink –"

"That would come to nothing and you know it. And in the meantime, what would happen to the lovely Orihime? Defenseless… and in my hands," he whispered.

Slowly, the full horror of his situation finally dawned on Ichigo. "No…" he said. "No, don't hurt her…"

Aizen's eyes narrowed in triumph. He withdrew his hands from Ichigo's body, leaned back, and said softly, "I have no intention of hurting her… so long as both of you comply with my wishes." He paused and looked down at his captive, waiting.

Ichigo closed his eyes and sagged. "What do you want, Aizen?"

"You are to come work for me," he stated simply. "No, it won't be so bad," he said as Ichigo opened his eyes and glowered at him with renewed ferocity. "You and Orihime will get to work together… in a special lab I have set up for you, to begin synthesizing some of the compounds she has developed… and putting them to practical use. I want you to start human trials," he murmured. "We need to know whether the process works in the human body."

Ichigo's eyes dilated in shock and he almost stopped breathing. "You're sick! Is there no limit to your depravity? You'd do experiments on humans?"

Aizen smiled and sat back, running a hand through his own hair. "No, Ichigo. _You_ will run these experiments. You and Orihime."


	9. Chapter 9: Orihime:Ulquiorra:Aizen

**Triangle of Immortality - Chapter 9**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Orihime, Ulquiorra, Yachiru, Aizen

* * *

Orihime sat at her lab bench, her head in her hands. Her mind was whirling with the implications of what Ichigo had told her. Aizen had drugged her. She still couldn't really believe it. What was he hoping to accomplish?

But at least she knew now that he was lying when he said he had feelings for her. He was only interested in bringing her work under his control. Shamefully, she felt a twinge of sorrow and regret when she thought of that. She firmly pushed the thought away. She would get her mind and heart under control. Aizen was her enemy.

She sat up and scrubbed her eyes. Ichigo had saved her from Aizen's control by insisting upon the blood tests. Now she knew that she had not truly gone to Aizen of her own free will. That gave her tremendous comfort. Her heart lifted slightly. She could stay with Ichigo, after all - he had forgiven her. She started to cry again, quietly.

At that moment, the lab door clicked open and she heard footsteps. She quickly dried her eyes and turned around.

A slender man with shaggy black hair stood in the doorway. He wore a white suit and had his hands in his pockets. He looked at her expressionlessly with brilliant green eyes. "Orihime Inoue?"

She stood up. "Yes."

"I am Ulquiorra Schiffer. I am an attorney with Las Noches Corporation, and I have come here to discuss the terms of your employment under our purchase contract with Gotei." The man's face appeared completely emotionless.

Orihime was surprised. Had the purchase come along so far already? "Uh, yes."

"Come with me." He turned and without waiting to see if she would follow, began walking rapidly down the corridor. Orihime hurried after him.

A temporary office had been set up for him on one of the upper floors. Orihime looked around uncertainly. If the purchase of Gotei by Las Noches was definitely going through, she needed to think about whether she should quit or not. It was true that she would lose much of her work, and would have to start anew somewhere else. But surely that was better than working for Aizen. Nevertheless, it was probably not a good idea to give notice directly to Schiffer at this time. She should listen to what he had to say.

He turned and looked at her with indifference. "These are the terms under which you will be working for Las Noches." He passed her several pages of densely written legalese.

She began reading through the contract. For a few moments, there was no sound in the office other than the occasional rustle of paper. Schiffer sat nearly immobile, his expressionless face turned in her direction. After a few minutes, she looked up in shock. "But… this appears to say that I will have to pay a huge financial penalty if I leave the employ of Las Noches anytime before five years from the date of the Gotei purchase. Also, it says that any of my work in this field, for the rest of my career, would belong to Las Noches, even after I left the company." It could not be right. She had to say something. She swallowed, then said firmly, "This contract violates my rights."

The black-haired man looked at her dispassionately. "I don't think you understand. This is not a negotiation. You have no rights. Gotei is being purchased by Las Noches and this contract is a reflection of the terms made by your own management. I am here merely to inform you of your status; there is nothing you can do or say to change it."

XxXxXxX

Yamamoto threw the sheaf of papers down on his desk angrily. He glared from under his bushy eyebrows at the brown-haired man lounging in the leather chair across from him.

"This contract is unacceptable! The terms written here are not the terms we agreed upon verbally, Aizen!"

The other man shrugged noncommittally. "Nevertheless, they are the terms you will accept, Genryuusai."

"Absurd! Whatever makes you think that?" demanded Yamamoto.

Aizen smiled faintly. "Two words, Genryuusai." He held up two fingers. "Wonderweiss Margera."

The older man deflated suddenly, all his bluster gone. He sank back into his chair and his face sagged. "How…" he whispered, "how did you know about that?"

Aizen crossed one slender leg over the other and leaned back in the chair with a serene smile. "Knowledge is power, and I have many excellent sources of information."

"You wouldn't… use that…" Yamamoto faltered.

"Would I not?" replied Aizen. "I think I will use any means at my disposal to secure the successful transfer of Gotei to my control. Only yesterday you were quite eager to accept my money… why should you change your mind at this late date?"

"That was when I understood the terms to be reasonable. Not this travesty of a contract. This isn't a contract of sale…" he regained his anger, "It's slavery! I won't stand for it!"

Aizen shifted languidly in the chair, the calm smile not leaving his face. He rested his elbow on the armrest and propped his chin in his hand as he gazed at the angry man, still completely relaxed in the face of the other's rage. "Pity," he mused. "It would be a shame for what happened to poor Wonderweiss to become public knowledge. Such a blot on your family's reputation."

Yamamoto glared futilely at the younger man. His hands were clenched in anger. "This is blackmail! I was under the impression you were an honorable man! But you are no gentleman."

The other smiled again. "Such strong language, Genryuusai," he said calmly. "But," he sighed, "what should I expect of the man who was so cruel to that poor child. There wasn't much left of him after that fire, was there? Barely enough to identify his remains in your bed, that night your guest house burned down." He raised one eyebrow quizzically in a gentle question. "What was it that happened – did he threaten to talk about your relationship?"

Yamamoto surged forward in rage and placed his hands flat on his desk. He looked like he wanted to throttle the calmly smiling man in front of him. Shaking with mingled anger, fear, and shame, he growled, "How dare you!"

Aizen said softly, "Sign the papers, Genryuusai. Then we won't have to deal with any of this unpleasantness."

Slowly, the other man sat back down. His face sagged in defeat, and he picked up the papers with trembling hands.

XxXxXxX

Orihime walked into the company auditorium. The room was already filling up for the all-hands meeting, and there was an excited buzz in the room. Yachiru, sitting near the front, waved a hand wildly and gestured to the seat next to her.

Pulling down the seat of the chair, Orihime slid into the spot next to Yachiru. "Have you heard what this is going to be about?" she asked the pink-haired girl.

"Yeah, it's all about the change of control… and we'll get to meet our new CEO!" She grinned at Orihime and winked. "I hear he's a nice guy… and really sexy!"

"Oh," said Orihime noncommittally. She was not looking forward to this meeting, but she was glad that she didn't blush when Yachiru said that Aizen was sexy. She still felt unexpectedly angry at Aizen, a very uncharacteristic feeling for her. It had been so long since she felt that anything was someone else's fault other than her own. She knew she tended to blame herself for anything that went wrong; it was not good, and led to her going along with others' desires when she should stand up for herself. But confrontation still scared her.

"_Ya dirty little slut," came her father's slurred voice. "Don't ya dare talk back ta me."_

"_Aw, leave 'er alone," said her mother. "She's bein' quiet now, thassa good girl, Hime, quiet and good…"_

"_Shut up, bitch! Whaddya know about it? She's a whore just like ya…"_

_The little girl hid behind the couch, trembling with fear, trying to make herself as small as possible. But the large man grabbed her arm and hit her hard again. This time, she cried quietly, and didn't make a sound. She didn't fight back, because fighting back was bad… and she didn't want to be a bad girl…_

Yachiru elbowed her in the ribs and said in a loud stage whisper, "There he is! Sousuke Aizen, ooh, isn't he _gorgeous_!" She panted and fanned herself exaggeratedly, grinning at Orihime, who looked back at her with a carefully neutral face.

The man at the front of the room walked gracefully to the podium and put on a pair of glasses, peering at his notes. He looked up owlishly and smiled warmly at the crowd. It was a friendly, guileless expression… the smile of an unassuming, kind man.

"Hello everyone, and thank you for taking time from your work to come see me today," he said gently, still with that humble smile on his face. Orihime stared at him, once again amazed at how perfectly he projected his mask of kindness. Even knowing him as she did, she was almost convinced that he must be a good, nice person. It was more than acting; he seemed almost able to hypnotize his audience into believing whatever he wanted.

He finished making a self-deprecating joke with a mild smile, and everyone in the room laughed appreciatively. They all liked him already. Yachiru was salivating beside her, nudging Orihime's arm and making ga-ga eyes at her. Orihime shook her head at Yachiru with a rueful chuckle. Her friend could still make her laugh, even when the situation was quite dire.

"Ohhh, I have a new hot crush…" moaned Yachiru, loosening the collar of her shirt with one finger.

"Shh!" whispered Orihime sternly. Not that it really mattered. Aizen was reading a prepared speech, saying that nothing would change at Gotei under the new management, that Las Noches would provide funding and stability so that Gotei could continue with their important research, and that everyone would be a valued employee of Las Noches and would receive all the top-of-the-line benefits that Las Noches could provide.

After the speech was over, Aizen fumbled with his notes, dropped a sheet of paper clumsily, and then made an apologetic joke. Everyone laughed. Then the room erupted in loud applause. Orihime saw smiles and relief on people's faces. They had been worried about the takeover, and Aizen had somehow managed to defuse their worries.

"I'll take questions now," he said. Yachiru's hand shot up and he gestured at her. "Yes."

"I'm Yachiru Kusajishi, and the president of the Gotei Women's Association. Is there a Las Noches Women's Association? And what opportunities do women have for advancement in your organization?"

Aizen smiled mildly, brushing at his curl of hair with a long finger. "Las Noches has a commitment to a diverse workforce. We have many policies in place to ensure that women and underrepresented minorities feel comfortable in the work environment and have as many opportunities for advancement as their skills permit." He leaned forward to fix the petite, pink-haired girl with a sincere look. "I look forward to working with you, Yachiru, on the recruitment, retention, and development of women employees at Las Noches. We will be merging all Gotei employee organizations into Las Noches organizations. The president of the Las Noches Women's Association, Loly Aivirrne, will be pleased to work with you on new initiatives."

Yachiru gave a long, wistful sigh and smiled blindingly at Aizen. Orihime wondered if she had even heard anything Aizen had said… or not said. Of course Aizen didn't care about diversity or employee rights. It was all lip service, part of the mask. And all the Gotei organizations were going to be swallowed up. Las Noches was going to chew them all up and spit out the ones that weren't useful to Aizen. And those that were… Orihime shivered. Their fate might be even worse. They would have to stay on.

She remembered once again the contract Ulquiorra Schiffer had shown her. It was set up so that she practically could not quit. She would have to pay a fine of triple her salary if she did… and once she left, the noncompete agreement meant that she could not work in her field for five years… long enough so that she would be finished as a researcher.

Even now that she knew that Sousuke Aizen had been lying and manipulating her, she was still his de facto slave. She choked back a sob as Aizen continued to answer questions in a mild, friendly tone. She saw clearly that the mood in the room had changed dramatically since the beginning of Aizen's speech, from suspicious to upbeat. Then there was a renewed wave of laughter in the room as he made another humorous comment.

Somehow he had managed to hypnotize them all into believing he was a nice guy. Looking around the room, Orihime saw only one frowning face – surprisingly, that of Genryuusai Yamamoto. What did the Gotei CEO have to be unhappy about? He had been one of the biggest cheerleaders of the merger and was undoubtedly taking home a fat payout.

Aizen left the room to more applause. As he walked backstage, Yachiru leaned forward and poked a brawny, red-headed man with his long hair in a spiky ponytail. "See, Renji," she called. "Doesn't look like it'll be so bad."

The man grinned back at her, then looked thoughtful. "He didn't seem to be overtly anti-union. But I know he hires people who are, so I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude." He frowned. "That Ulquiorra Schiffer is bad news."

Orihime shivered. Ulquiorra Schiffer had told her she had no rights. That was, indeed, very bad news.


	10. Chapter 10: Ichigo:Orihime

**Triangle of Immortality - Chapter 10**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters:** Ichigo, Orihime, Urahara

* * *

Ichigo scowled as he strode briskly down the street toward the clinic, his body still shaking from anger and the delayed reaction to his capture at Aizen's hands. He had finally realized that he was in way over his head. Ichigo had always been a direct sort of person; he didn't plan ahead much, but charged straight into situations, relying on his native intelligence and strong will to carry him through. And that had always worked before.

But now, he was facing a different type of opponent. One who required a different set of skills to defeat. Ichigo had no idea how to avoid losing in this situation. He was in a terrible trap, and soon the jaws of the trap would close completely about him and Orihime.

_Before Aizen had released him, he had bent down to whisper in his ear. "If you go to the police, I will find out. I have many agents in law enforcement. And Orihime will suffer for it."_

"_Don't you dare hurt her, you bastard!" Ichigo demanded angrily._

"_She will not be physically harmed, of course," Aizen continued. He straightened, and turned to gaze out the window, looking out over the expansive view. "However, as I'm sure you're aware, she is... psychologically fragile. As a result, it would be simple to damage her mind beyond repair with a few carefully chosen actions." His voice dropped and he almost purred, "Believe me, I would hate for that to be necessary. I… care… for Orihime… and don't want anything unpleasant to befall her." He ignored Ichigo's look of scornful disbelief and went on. "So I very much hope that you will be cooperative."_

"_I said that I'd do what you want, but only if you leave her alone!" Ichigo shouted._

_Aizen smiled coldly. "Very well. We understand each other then."_

Ichigo clenched his fists, his thumbs twinging again to remind him of his current state under Aizen's control. Aizen had been very clear about what he wanted. Ichigo was to obey all his orders in the future or Orihime would suffer. He would have to quit his job at the clinic and apply for a position as a research scientist at Las Noches. There Aizen would set him up with a well-equipped lab, would supply him with the latest equipment, and any devices, chemicals, or tissue samples he wanted, but he would only be able to research the questions that Aizen wanted studied, those having to do with Orihime's anti-aging process. And Orihime would be there too, working in the same lab, as the purchase of Gotei by Las Noches was almost complete.

_Aizen lidded his eyes suggestively. "Think of it, Ichigo. You can work with Orihime every day. That's surely better than your situation now, when you hardly see her at all." His voice dripped with mock concern. "You really should be more careful about your fiancée – she's such a lovely, vulnerable girl … anyone could make a move on her, and then where would you be?" He chuckled softly as Ichigo's face turned beet red. "It would be a shame," Aizen breathed softly as he brushed his lips across the rim of his captive's ear, "for you to lose someone so delightful in bed." Ichigo growled with insane fury and made a sudden, abortive movement toward his tormentor, but his bonds held. Aizen sat calmly beside him, smirking as the movement caused Ichigo's thumbs to burn in renewed agony._

Ichigo fumed again with outrage as he remembered his helplessness before Aizen. The most frustrating part of it all was that even after he had been untied and set free from Aizen's building, he was still helpless. His actions were constrained as effectively as if Aizen still had him tied up in his office. And the worst of it was that Orihime was in the trap too. They were both completely under Aizen's control. Ichigo balled his fists in rage, unable to think clearly, his mind full of a red haze. There had to be a way out. There had to be.

He suddenly changed his mind about returning to the clinic to turn in his notice immediately as Aizen had ordered. He crossed the street and turned in the other direction. He had something more important to do; he was going to see Orihime. He had to get her out of this. Somehow.

XxXxXxX

"Ichigo, I can't just quit my job!" Orihime said in disbelief. "What are you saying? Why do you want me to do that?"

He looked at her steadily. "Orihime, Aizen is blackmailing me. And he's threatening you to keep me from reporting it. He wants to get control of both of us. I want you to get away from him. You need to quit and take a long vacation. I can give you money if you need it. Just get away from here." He shook his head and approached her, eyes intense. She backed away from him slowly, fear written on her face.

"Aizen… is blackmailing you?" she asked hesitantly. "How…?"

"I did something stupid and he got it on tape." Ichigo made a wry grimace. "But the main hold he has over me now is you. He's threatening to hurt you if I don't do whatever he wants. That's why I want you to get away." His eyes were pleading now, as Orihime shook her head slowly.

"Ichigo, you don't understand. There's a termination contract in place with the Las Noches takeover, and they've set up non-compete contracts. I can't afford to quit now with the penalties that would be levied on scientists who leave. Besides," she smiled up at him suddenly, "I'm not afraid of Aizen… not if we're together."

"Hime –" Ichigo's face gentled. He moved closer to her. "I –"

There was a sudden rattling at the lab door and Kisuke Urahara, Gotei's brilliant chief scientist, walked into the lab. His shaggy blond hair was uncombed under the trademark green-and-white striped hat that he wore everywhere. "Hey, Orihime, Ichigo, how're ya both doin'?" he said in his cheerful drawl, his eyes going warily from one to the other. "Did I interrupt a heart-to-heart?" When no one said anything, he tilted his head in inquiry. "What's wrong?"

Orihime smiled at him, nervously twining a strand of long red hair around her finger. She said, "Urahara-san, it's fine. Ichigo and I were just having a nice chat. But I think," she laughed shakily, "that he was about to be leaving, Urahara-san, if you need to talk about work."

"No way, Orihime," cried Ichigo, "I'm not going until you agree to go on a vacation at the very least!"

"Oh, have you been overworking again, Orihime?" asked Urahara solicitously. "He's right, you do need to take a break every now and then. Especially with this change of control coming up. There's going to be a lot of tension around the company." He peered at Ichigo from under the shadow of the brim of his hat. "You look pretty tense, too, Ichigo. Your job at the clinic not going too well?"

Ichigo frowned. "I suppose I should tell you." He looked over at Orihime. "I'm going to quit my job at the clinic."

"What?" she asked in shock. "You love your work! Why?"

He grimaced. "Aizen wants me to come work for Las Noches."

Both of the others were taken aback. Urahara gave a low whistle. "Hmm, you'd be quite a catch for Aizen's research lab. But why? I wouldn't think you'd be the type to work for someone like Aizen." He narrowed his eyes. "Does he have some kind of hold on you?"

Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his head, wincing as he hit the bruise on his thumb again. He had noticed before that Urahara was annoyingly perceptive. But Orihime said he had a good heart despite his infuriating exterior, so Ichigo decided to answer. "Well, uh… he's blackmailing me."

Urahara's eyes widened. Then he caught sight of the large discolored area on Ichigo's hand and said, with a sidelong glance at Orihime, "Ichigo. That's not a good situation to be in."

"Tell me about it," growled Ichigo.

"What are you going to do about it?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I don't really know what I can do."

Orihime dropped her eyes. "I'm sorry that I got you into this, Ichigo. It's me Aizen wants."

"No, damn it, he has plans for my work with him too. He wants me to start running human trials on your process." He scowled more ferociously as he wondered once again how he could get out of this trap.

Urahara's mouth opened in a soundless "O" of surprise. Then he said, "Well. That's very interesting news."

Orihime's eyes widened in shock and she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. "But… it's not even ready for animal trials yet! We have no idea if it's safe, much less effective."

Urahara waved his hand. "Nothing like that would matter to Aizen. I'll bet he's salivating at the thought of a practical immortality process under his control. It's not just that it would be wildly profitable. Aizen wants more than just money – he wants power. He gets off on having people groveling at his feet." He sighed. "That's just the kind of man he is."

Orihime was looking at him intently. "Did you see him at the all-hands meeting the other day? I thought everybody in the company seemed to like him."

The older scientist grinned ruefully at her. "Ah, but I can see through his mask, just like you. The three of us will have to stick together. I see some bad times coming ahead." He shook his head and looked over at Ichigo. "Tell me what happened. Maybe I can help."

Ichigo grunted, but decided to trust him. Exhaling, he sat down in one of the lab chairs, and began slowly explaining what had happened that morning. The other two listened in growing shock.

"No," Urahara said, as the younger man finished detailing Aizen's plans for Ichigo and Orihime to work together in his lab. "You two can't give in to him. If he gets his hands on your work, Orihime, can you imagine what he'll do with it?" His voice was unusually sober. "Think of all the people who would do anything to extend their lives… Aizen would have them in the palm of his hand. He'd set himself up as a god with the power of life and death. He could go to anyone, government leaders, generals, judges, and tell them, 'Do what I say and I'll extend your life.' It'll just be another way for him to control everyone. And can you imagine what the world would be like under Aizen's control?" He made a face and Orihime shuddered.

"We can't let that happen!" said Ichigo. "Which is why I want Orihime to quit and get away."

Urahara tugged the brim of his hat down further over his eyes and sighed. "Ichigo. It's not going to be that simple. We have to think this through carefully. Remember what just happened to you. Don't you think Aizen knows you're going to do this and has something planned for it?"

Ichigo subsided with a scowl. "Yeah – I guess you're right. But then – what do we do?"

The blond grinned under his hat. "We outthink him."


	11. Chapter 11: Ichigo:Orihime

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 11**

**by Sariniste**

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who has read, favorited, or – especially – reviewed this story! I really appreciate your support, particularly since this is the first novel-length piece of fiction I've written. Your reviews encourage me to keep going.

**Characters:** Ichigo, Orihime, Aizen, and Urahara

* * *

Ichigo followed Aizen down the long corridor in one of the sub-basements of the Las Noches building, silently fuming. Aizen had called and "invited" him to visit the lab he'd set up for him. Although at first he had wanted to refuse, Urahara had convinced him to comply with all of Aizen's orders and do nothing overt against him - yet.

"_Don't you see, Ichigo?" the older scientist had asked. "Aizen has analyzed your personality. He knows you're going to try something, and he'll have plans in place to turn whatever you do to his advantage. Your best strategy at the moment is to do nothing rebellious and to act counter to your own instincts."_

"_Do you really think that'll help?" Ichigo had demanded._

_The other man had shrugged and scratched his head. "Well… I don't really know, but at least it won't make things worse. And in the meantime… I have a plan on how to get us all out of Aizen's clutches."_

"_What is it?" demanded Ichigo impatiently._

_Urahara grinned. "Trust me. You're gonna like it."_

Aizen stopped in front of a heavy door with an iris scanner and a key card reader on a panel to its right. He inserted a key card, paused, and then leaned in for his eye to be scanned. The door clicked open, and Aizen motioned Ichigo to enter.

Inside, Ichigo caught his breath. He was standing in the largest, most well-equipped biochemistry lab he had ever seen. Under high ceilings, stretching out for several hundred feet in both directions, racks of gleaming glassware stood over modern mass spectrometers, gene sequencers, and other wildly expensive equipment he had heard of but never seen in person. Refrigerators and autoclaves lined one wall, and long rows of spotless lab benches stretched off into the distance. He walked slowly forward, Aizen temporarily forgotten as he gazed in wonder around him. Machine noise caught his ear and he stared in disbelief at a large bank of computers behind a glass wall at the far end of the room.

"Is – is that a Cray XT5?" he said incredulously, his voice almost breaking at the end.

Aizen came up beside him. His face wore an amused half-smile at Ichigo's disbelief. "Why, yes. With over 224,000 cores, it's the fastest supercomputer in the world. You'll need it to analyze the results of your tests, with the kind of combinatorial explosion you'll get with the molecular structure combinations. You'll have exabytes of data to process, and you'll need significant amounts of raw parallel processing mips." He stepped closer to Ichigo and lowered his voice. "This machine is known as the Panther. For raw speed, it simply can't be touched. You have here over a petaflop of sustained compute power," he murmured. His arm brushed Ichigo's as he gestured to the computer. "Nothing else in the world can compare to it. And it's all for you," he whispered.

Ichigo jerked away from Aizen's touch and glared at him. "Get away from me, you bastard." Aizen raised his eyebrows in amusement but said nothing as Ichigo continued to look around the lab.

After a long silence during which Ichigo carefully examined every corner of the room, Aizen finally inquired, "So. Does it meet with your approval?"

Reluctantly, Ichigo gave a nod. "Yes. I can work here."

Aizen smiled at the understatement. "Very good. Have you begun the formal job application process yet?"

"No. I had to give two weeks' notice at the clinic so that they can find a replacement for me."

"I want you to apply to Las Noches today," Aizen ordered. "Do it when we go upstairs."

Ichigo grimaced, and then bowed his head. "All right."

XxXxXxX

That night, he went to Orihime's house for dinner. Her cooking had gotten better over the years; the wild pairing of odd ingredients had turned into a flair for the creative blending of unexpected flavors that worked well together. Dinner at her house was usually a bit of an adventure, but he no longer had to worry that the meals would be inedible.

She had lit candles and covered her dining table with an embroidered linen tablecloth, deep blue with silver stars scattered all over it. Ichigo stopped at the doorway, taken aback. "Wow, Hime, what's the special occasion?"

Orihime gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, why do you think that? It's just dinnertime."

"Well, we usually don't have candles… and that's a beautiful tablecloth. I don't think I've seen it before."

"Oh, I just thought that it would be fun to have something nice tonight." She beamed at him enthusiastically. "And I made one of your favorite dishes - trout with peaches!"

Ichigo had to smile back at her, his black mood lifting a bit. He had to admit that she often just seemed to know the right thing to do or say to make the world seem less gloomy; he never quite knew how she did it, but he knew he was glad that she was in his life.

XxXxXxX

The trout was wonderfully tasty, fresh and delicately cooked in butter, topped with browned almonds and thinly sliced, ripe peaches. The sweetness of the fruit brought out the rich flavor of the fish and it all went perfectly with the Chardonnay Ichigo had brought. They both ate steadily for a few minutes, the only sound the clinking of utensils and an occasional "mmm, this is delicious."

Finally Ichigo sat back, sighing in contentment. "This is an amazing dinner, Orihime."

"Thanks!" She beamed at him. "I'm glad it worked out well. We almost didn't get the trout, you know. When I got to the store, they were out at the front counter, but then it turned out the fishmonger had saved these two filets for me! Wasn't that nice?"

"Yeah." Ichigo shook his head in amazement. Orihime was always talking about all the neighborhood vendors. She knew them all by name, and they all knew her and were always doing her special favors. She would detail long conversations they had had about all sorts of topics under the sun, and Ichigo would marvel that she seemed to find friends wherever she went, that she could find common ground with just about anybody. When Ichigo went to the store, he pretty much pointed at what he wanted, grunted, and left. He'd been going to the same neighborhood store for over a decade and didn't even recognize the people behind the counter.

Orihime started chattering about the produce store, and about how the peaches came from a small organic farm two valleys over, but Ichigo interrupted her. "Orihime. We have to talk about what we're going to do."

"Oh." Her face lost all its animation and she looked down at her hands twisting in her lap. "Do we have to?"

"Of course we do," he said in exasperation. "I mean, what is going to happen with us both working for Aizen?"

"Well…" Orihime hesitated. Then she looked up and said insistently, "We'll get to talk every day! Why do we have to talk about it now? I just want to enjoy being together."

He fought down the urge to shake her. "How are we going to get out of doing what Aizen wants?"

"Ichigo," she said quietly. "I think we'll have to do what he wants, at least on the surface."

"Including human experiments?" demanded Ichigo.

"Well… about that. I have an idea for using live tissue cultures that would obviate the need for human trials, at least for a while. And then…" she looked up at him with a nervous look in her eyes, "once we're sure it's safe, I thought I could try it out on myself."

"What?" Ichigo leaped out of his chair. "What are you talking about, Hime? You can't turn yourself into a human guinea pig," he shouted.

"You certainly don't expect me to test it on anyone else!" she retorted.

"But…"

"I've thought about everything, Ichigo. If Aizen tries to get us to test on other people, I'll just pretend to go along with it. I'll inject them with a plain saline solution and just make something up to tell him. I…" she lowered her eyes. "I can't do human experiments, Ichigo. You know that."

"But if Aizen finds out—"

"I'm not going to worry about that now." She looked down at her hands again. "I… I wasn't going to tell you, so that he would punish me and not you." Then she looked up, tilted her head to one side, and smiled. "Besides, what if it works? Then I'll be the first one to get the benefits! You won't be mad, Ichigo, if your wife ends up younger than you?" She laughed merrily and Ichigo had to shake his head. He would have to talk her out of it later. She was clearly too upset tonight.

Then he smiled. "Wife? So… is our engagement back on?" He pushed his chair back in and walked over to her side of the table.

"What?" she asked, then blushed. "Oh! I assumed it was still OK with you! Did I make a mistake?"

"Silly," he said, as he wrapped his arms around her. "Of course it's OK with me." He bent his head to kiss her, holding her tightly. "We'll get through this… somehow… and then we'll be together forever."

XxXxXxX

Ichigo looked at the storefront in disbelief. "This is it? This is your big plan to outsmart Aizen? Opening up a _candy store_? I always knew you were nuts, but now you've gone totally off your rocker."

The blond man grinned from under his striped hat. "Well, I have to have _some_ way to earn a living, and with the non-compete agreements that Gotei and Las Noches have tied up all the scientists with, I can't start a health-related business." He adjusted his hat with a sly glance at Ichigo and smirked. "So… I just have to start something that's as far away from health as you can get. Ergo… a candy store!"

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

Urahara looked hurt at this cavalier dismissal of his plan. "No, it's brilliant," he declared, fanning himself with a paper fan he'd pulled out from his pocket. "There's no way they can get to us, we have a legitimate business to run, and we have a secure base of operations." He smiled slyly. "Wait till you see the secret rooms I've installed in the basement."


	12. Chapter 12: Ichigo:Urahara:Toshiro

**Triangle of Immortality – Chapter 12**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters: **Ichigo, Urahara, Toshiro

* * *

Ichigo stood before the storefront of the Urahara Candy Shop, shaking his head in disbelief at the loud and fanciful window displays. He still wasn't altogether sure whether Kisuke Urahara was a man to be depended upon. The guy certainly seemed incredibly goofy. But Orihime had assured him that he was a brilliant scientist and that he had a good heart. So when Urahara had contacted him the day before and asked for a private meeting at his shop, Ichigo had agreed, if somewhat against his better judgment.

Really, at this point Ichigo didn't have much choice, he reflected. Aizen had pretty much sewn him up. He had had to give notice at the clinic and apply for a position at Las Noches. It had been humiliating. He scowled at the memory. They had forced him to go through a standard interview process, questioning his qualifications at length and dragging him through multiple interviews with random low-level staff members who seemed bewildered that he was applying at all. Aizen must have been just yanking his chain for his own amusement.

So when Urahara had met with him a few days before, setting up a method of communication in what Ichigo felt was an absurdly overdone cloak-and-dagger manner, by suggesting that they exchange notes in a hollow tree in a nearby park, he had played along with it, rolling his eyes in exasperation. The day before, an unsigned note in Urahara's handwriting had indicated that he wanted to see him in the shop at two in the afternoon today. So here he was.

He pushed open the glass door to the store and a bell tinkled. A red-headed kid in a white t-shirt was standing behind the counter, swinging an imaginary baseball bat. Ichigo walked up to the counter. The boy ignored him and continued to swing his arms back and forth. Finally the boy stopped what he was doing and glared at the orange-haired man. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, "I'm here to see Urahara."

"Hey Ichigo," came a voice from the back. "Come on down. I've got someone here for you to meet."

Ichigo slipped through the green curtain in the doorway behind the counter. A bookshelf was mounted on an open door, and Ichigo descended the stairs visible through the door. Once at the bottom, he was surprised at how spacious the basement room was. It was lined with shelves overflowing with boxes arranged in a haphazard manner. In one corner was a small round plastic-topped table, with three molded plastic chairs surrounding it. The scent of jasmine tea rose from three cups steaming on the tabletop. Seated at the table were Urahara and what looked like another kid, this one with an unruly mop of white hair. Ichigo blinked. The kid looked like he belonged in elementary school. He was wearing a blue button-down shirt and white slacks, and was scowling fiercely.

"What's a kid doing here?" Ichigo asked Urahara.

"I'm not a kid," said the other irritably.

Urahara, slouching in his seat, tugged his hat down over his eyes. "Ichigo, I'd like you to meet Toshiro Hitsugaya of the FBI."

Ichigo did a double-take. This guy was from the FBI? Looking at his face once more, he could see that the white-haired youngster might be somewhat older than he had thought at first. He stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Pleased to meet you, Toshiro."

The short man frowned with impatience and kept his arms at his side. "It's _Captain_ Hitsugaya."

"Whatever," said Ichigo in annoyance. "What are you doing here?" At Urahara's gesture, he pulled out one of the chairs and sat down across from the other two men.

"Captain Hitsugaya," said Urahara carefully, "is here to help set up an undercover operation to investigate corruption in Las Noches. He'd like to know if you're willing to cooperate in order to obtain evidence against Sousuke Aizen."

Ichigo stared in surprise at the man who looked too young to be an undercover agent. Hitsugaya scowled at him and said without preamble, "I understand Aizen is blackmailing you. Do you want a chance to strike back at him?"

The orange-haired man scowled back and then glared at Urahara. "How much did you tell him about my personal story? Did I give you permission to do that?"

Urahara looked sheepish. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ichigo. I guess I told him everything about you. But," he rallied, "it's all for a good cause. This is your chance to get at Aizen!"

Ichigo frowned suspiciously. "How do you know we can trust him? Aizen has connections in all the agencies."

The older man glanced meaningfully at Hitsugaya from under his hat. "Captain Hitsugaya, like you, has a personal reason to oppose Sousuke Aizen."

Hitsugaya looked searchingly at Ichigo before nodding. "Yeah. Besides, you might be surprised at how many people would like to see him brought down. He hasn't hypnotized everybody; he's just so powerful that no one has been able to strike a blow against him. He does have friends in high places, so we'd have to make sure the case against him is airtight." He glared at both of them. "From what Urahara tells me, you are going to be at the center of Aizen's latest set of felonies. That gives us a perfect opportunity for you to wear a wire and catch him in the act."

Ichigo gaped. "What? You want to put a microphone on me and record my conversations with Aizen? Isn't that dangerous? He'd be sure to find out."

"Not necessarily." Hitsugaya gave a menacing smile. "We have the latest stealth equipment that's certified undetectable."

"Well, how do you even know he'll say anything incriminating to me?"

"Oh, that's the least of our worries," put in Urahara, "Aizen likes to brag, and he thinks he already has you in his net. He's sure to talk around you."

"Hmph," Ichigo grunted, not totally convinced.

Hitsugaya fixed him with a piercing stare. "A lot of it depends on you. You have to draw him out, but subtly, so that he doesn't notice. Be a good listener. Can you do that?"

Urahara waved his hand. "Oh yes, Ichigo is a great listener! He can draw anyone out!"

Ichigo stared at him in disbelief. "You must not have been talking to anyone who knows me if you think that."

"Well, you'll have to be." Hitsugaya did not look too pleased with this development. "We've thought we had Aizen dead to rights before, caught something on tape that wasn't one hundred percent convincing, and he managed to convince a jury he was innocent." He shook his head in disgust. "But the stakes are higher here, so we're putting more manpower and equipment into this case."

"How do I know someone won't screw up and leak it to Aizen? What would happen to me then – and to Orihime?"

The agent glared at him irritably. "I didn't take you for a coward. There's always a risk in an operation like this. We do what we can to keep it under wraps. But Aizen is a pretty slippery character. We can't really know the extent he's penetrated the agency."

Ichigo leaned back in the chair, rubbing his chin dubiously as he eyed the white-haired man. "So what are your personal reasons to hate Aizen?"

The other put down his cup of tea and looked at Ichigo with narrowed eyes. "Why should I tell you?"

"Why not?" asked Ichigo belligerently, putting his fists on his hips. "You know everything about my personal life."

Hitsugaya glowered at him for a moment, then relented. "OK. I guess you have a right to know." He took a deep breath. "My cousin used to work in the accounting department in Las Noches. She and I were very close as children – we were both raised by our grandmother – and I always felt protective of her. She was a bit naïve and trusting. But she loved her job at Las Noches, and worked long hours very diligently. I used to kid her about it. She took it all so seriously. I saw that she really wanted to please her management, but I didn't think anything of it." He shook his head regretfully. "I didn't realize that would be a problem. Anyway, over time, she started to notice some very odd numbers, and she called me about it. That's where I made a mistake. I just told her to go to the police. The problem was that my cousin had fallen completely for Aizen's act." He made a face of disgust. "She decided to talk to him first, sure that the man she admired could never condone an illegal act." He paused to take another gulp of tea.

"So what happened?" asked Ichigo.

"Aizen put on this _concerned_ act, and told her he'd give it his utmost attention." Hitsugaya's lip curled. "He did that all right. He set it all up to frame _her_, manufactured evidence to make it look like _she_ was involved in accounting fraud and cheating the federal government. Then he called it in himself." He tightened his lips angrily, banging the teacup down on its saucer. "Momo adored him. She worshipped the ground he walked on. She was always talking to me about Sousuke Aizen this and Sousuke Aizen that, about how wonderful and kind he was, and how he took a personal interest in her career," he said in a sarcastic tone. Then his voice changed. "She admired him and he stabbed her in the back. _She_ ended up in jail for embezzlement and government tax fraud." He clenched his fists in outrage. "And Aizen got away scot-free. He even managed to collect the whistleblower reward for uncovering tax fraud."

Ichigo shook his head in grim sympathy. "That sounds just like the way that bastard operates." He locked eyes with Hitsugaya and said firmly. "But we're going to take him down."

XxXxXxX

After Hitsugaya left, Ichigo stayed around to talk to Urahara more about the situation. Urahara gave him further background on the angry young agent. It turned out that the white-haired man was actually twenty-five years old. He was something of a prodigy, having gone to college early and then completing both the police and FBI academy in the shortest time on record.

Urahara told Ichigo, "When things get rough, you couldn't ask for a better fighter at your back. You can count on Toshiro. He'll stick with you and help you out."

"Yeah, I guess so." Ichigo felt discouraged. Trying to trick Aizen, this time as an FBI plant, didn't really seem like a smart idea.

"Hey Ichigo." Urahara came over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't look so downcast. You've actually got a big advantage over Aizen. He's got a major weakness."

"What the fuck are you talking about? How can _I_ have an advantage over _him_? He's got so much power, and I'm nobody…" He shook off the other man's hand in frustration.

"_You_ have friends. Actually, you have an amazing number of friends who all like and trust you, and whom you can trust." The scientist looked earnestly into the younger man's eyes. "Aizen has no one. He's completely selfish. He doesn't rely on anyone, doesn't trust anyone. Everyone, in his mind, is merely a pawn to be manipulated. He has no allies, only tools."

"So? How is that my advantage in a fight like this?"

"Because, in the end, not relying on others makes you weak. It's the social ties between people that make human society strong. That's how humans have evolved, by cooperating with one another. We've seen it over and over in the archeological records." Urahara appeared uncharacteristically serious. "In ancient times, individual human beings were weaker than just about all their predators. But it turns out _Homo sapiens_ is hard-wired to band together, to cooperate to defeat their enemies. And that's how you'll defeat Aizen. You'll build up an alliance of friends and colleagues with different skills, people you can totally rely on. Individually, each of you will be weaker than Aizen. But together, you'll be overwhelmingly stronger than him. And he won't stand a chance."

"Yeah," Ichigo said. He snorted, not altogether convinced.

The other man waved his hand. "Ichigo, you just need to trust your friends. You don't have to do everything all by yourself."

Ichigo shrugged. "Whatever. As long as you think this plan will work."

"Oh yes. It'll work. But you will have to do some things you don't like to draw Aizen out."

The younger man sighed. "It's not like I have any choice. Doing what Aizen wants is far worse than anything I'd have to do for Hitsugaya."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Urahara looked at him with something like pity in his eyes, half-hidden by the floppy hat.


	13. Chapter 13: Ichigo:Toshiro:Aizen

**Triangle of Immortality – Chapter 13**

**by Sariniste**

**A/N:** A bit of a character reversal in the last section of this chapter. It just seemed to make sense that way.

**Characters:** Ichigo, Orihime, Toshiro, Grimmjow, Aizen

XxXxXxX

"_This is your new lab, Orihime," Aizen said in a kindly tone. "I hope it has everything you need." He glanced at the orange-haired man trailing behind them as they entered the room. "Ichigo has already informed me it is to his satisfaction."_

_Orihime looked around in awe at the huge, well-equipped laboratory space. "This…" she said hesitantly, "has everything I could possibly want."_

_Aizen looked pleased. "See," he said. "It's not all bad working for me, is it?"_

"_Yes, sir," Orihime said, looking away._

"_Good. Then I'll leave you to your work." With that he was gone, and Orihime looked over at a dejected-looking Ichigo._

"_Ichigo, don't look so sad! It'll be okay, you'll see…" she said cajolingly._

"_Yeah," said Ichigo in a monotone. Then he roused himself and smiled at Orihime. "Yeah," he said in a more animated tone. "We'll make it work out, Orihime."_

They had been assigned a lab assistant. He had unlikely blue hair, a surly expression, extremely foul mouth, and a missing left arm. His name was Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, and Ichigo doubted the man had ever been in a chemistry lab before. He was the most useless lab assistant Ichigo had ever seen. He was constantly breaking glassware, and he didn't understand the most basic instructions. Ichigo thought he'd been put there to spy on them and wanted to insist that Aizen remove him from their lab, but Orihime felt sorry for him. She convinced Ichigo to keep Grimmjow on as their assistant. Ichigo didn't think they needed an assistant. In any event, they certainly didn't need one of Aizen's spies sitting in their lab breaking glassware.

But it ended up not being so bad, as Grimmjow frequently disappeared from the lab and left them alone anyway. Orihime was too kind-hearted to tattle to Aizen about Grimmjow's frequent absences, so he retained his position. Orihime eventually got it out of him that he had held a higher position in Las Noches once, but had somehow fallen out of favor. He didn't appear to be one of Aizen's admirers, but he was careful not to say anything overt against his employer. Orihime had somehow decided that Grimmjow was a potential ally, so she kept drawing him out and being friendly to him. It drove Ichigo nuts.

XxXxXxX

It had been three weeks since the transfer of control of Gotei to Las Noches. Aizen had wasted no time in "consolidating" staff, and had moved the remaining Gotei employees to the main Las Noches building. Ichigo had met with Toshiro Hitsugaya and Urahara twice more to go over the details of the sting operation.

"The microphone is hidden in this shirt button," Hitsugaya explained. "It's a non-directional, noise-cancelling mike, and is completely shielded so that it will remain undetected by any bug sniffing equipment Aizen may have installed around you. This is the latest technology; it operates on variable frequencies, so even if they manage to penetrate the shielding, the random shifts from frequency to frequency on a 20-hertz cycle will leave only snippets of noise a fraction of a second long on any particular frequency. As a result, even if its energy signal is detected, there will be no evidence that it's actually a listening device."

Ichigo nodded, surveying the tiny devices with fascination. "How will it transmit the voice recordings to you?"

"It won't transmit anything," said the white-haired FBI agent. "That could be detected, and would require a larger battery, making the device more unwieldy. It actually records the digital signal onto a microchip inside the button. When you take your shirt off at the end of the day, you'll send it to the dry cleaners. At the dry cleaners, an agent will pick up the button and replace it with a fresh one."

Ichigo laughed shortly. "Wow, real cloak-and-dagger stuff. I feel like I'm in a spy movie or something."

Hitsugaya frowned at him. "You need to take this seriously. This is serious business!"

"Yeah, whatever. Just what I always wanted to be, James Bond. Or perhaps I should say Maxwell Smart?"

Hitsugaya frowned even more severely. "Mr. Kurosaki, if you won't take this seriously, we can stop this right now."

Ichigo held up his hand placatingly. "No, no, it's okay. I'm sorry. "

Urahara put in, "I think the tension is leading Ichigo to feel the need for some… inappropriate humor. I'm sure he'll calm down once he gets started, Captain Hitsugaya."

"So what do I have to do with these?" asked Ichigo, poking one of the buttons with his finger. "Tell Aizen to talk into my shirt?"

"No," said Hitsugaya with renewed irritation. "I told you before, you need to act normally. The button will work from any angle. It's designed to be selective for voice. Actually, it's even adjusted for the pitch of Aizen's voice which we've extracted from his public speeches. The filter is tuned for maximum sensitivity at the first formant of his unique vocal signal, so it should catch him from anywhere."

"Okay," said Ichigo, marveling at the tiny devices.

"What you will need to do is allow him to talk without leading him. That should be easy with Aizen; he likes to talk. Remember to let him – don't try to get him to shut up even if you want him to."

"That's going to be hard," warned Ichigo.

"Just think of how you'll feel when he's convicted and put in jail," put in Urahara. "That should make it easier for you."

Ichigo grunted. "Yeah, I suppose so."

"Just go along with what he says. See if you can get him alone so that he'll feel more comfortable opening up," Hitsugaya continued.

"Great," Ichigo said sarcastically. "Just what I want, more alone time with Aizen." The agent ignored him and pulled out another small case.

"And here are two other important devices," Hitsugaya said, handing Ichigo two metallic disk-shaped objects the size of thick quarters.

Ichigo turned them over curiously in his hands. "What are these?"

"They're the latest in audio scramblers. We'll have to assume from now on that Aizen will have bugged your house, your phones, your car… and it's certain that he'll have audio and video surveillance set up in your offices and lab at Las Noches."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "Really? He'd go to that much trouble over us?"

Hitsugaya gave him a scornful look. "Don't be foolish. Of course he will. It's completely illegal, of course, but you know Aizen doesn't let little things like that bother him." He frowned, then continued. "In any event, if you're carrying one of these in your pocket, when turned on, it will scramble any audio signal within a radius of ten feet. That means that you and Dr. Inoue will have privacy should you wish to speak of any sensitive matters you don't want Aizen to hear."

Ichigo held up one of the disks between thumb and forefinger. "How do I turn it on?"

"Here," Hitsugaya took one of the small devices and guided Ichigo's hand to a tiny rocker switch on the edge of the disk. "Slide this to the side – you see where a red area appears? That's the indication that it's in the 'on' position. You should turn it on whenever you want to say something in private and off when you're having a harmless conversation, and, of course, when you're speaking with Aizen or any of his agents. However, you're perfectly free to leave it on all the rest of the time. The radio-frequency radiation it emits is harmless to the human body. You'll just need to have the battery replaced every month or so. We're perfectly happy to do that. All you have to do is leave it in your pocket when you drop off your dry cleaning. A replacement will be in the pocket when you pick it up."

"But won't Aizen be able to tell that something's going on, if all his audio signals are scrambled?"

"This device doesn't operate the way an ordinary scrambler does, emitting static or a loud squeal. It blocks the audio signal within the specified range and uses a sophisticated linear predictive coding algorithm to detect your voice and replace it with pre-recorded innocuous conversation." Hitsugaya gave him a tight smile. "Full-time surveillance systems collect so much data that Aizen won't have time to listen to it all. He'll either hire low-level staffers to listen to it or use an automated system to filter the data. This scrambler has been field-tested to fool all of those techniques."

Ichigo weighed the little device in his hand. "Wow. This tiny thing does all that."

Hitsugaya smirked. "You'd be surprised at the advances in nanotechnology that the government has been funding secretly." His grin broadened briefly. "Your tax dollars at work."

Ichigo snorted in response, and the agent continued, "Of course, this doesn't affect video signals. So you and Dr. Inoue will still need to be careful about those. We don't know how high resolution Aizen's video surveillance systems are, so to be safe, you should assume he can read small handwritten notes or computer keyboard key presses. Oh – one thing I should ask – do you know how to detect and remove keystroke sniffers on a computer?" At Ichigo's nod, he continued. "Good. Then I don't need to give you instructions on that. You should do that on every computer you use, and check regularly to make sure sniffers haven't been re-installed. Additionally, should you wish to password-protect any files or type anything on the computer that you want to keep secure, make sure you use standard anti-shoulder-surfing security techniques – I assume you know about those?"

One corner of Ichigo's mouth twisted upward. "Yes, of course; that's part of the computer security training course of every company I've worked for."

Hitsugaya gave a sardonic chuckle. "Good. I'm glad to see that some of the federal government's program of cybersecurity education seems to be working."

Ichigo grunted, studying the little device more carefully. Then he said, "What happens if Aizen suspects we're scrambling his signals?"

The other man frowned. "That's one of the risks I'm afraid you'll have to take. It's quite possible he will suspect; he's quite cagey. However, you should be somewhat protected by the fact that he's trying to maintain the illusion of operating legally. Legally, he's not supposed to be violating your privacy with surveillance. Although –" he paused and eyed Ichigo intently, "you are aware that corporations do have the legal right to monitor all your keystrokes on your computer equipment."

Ichigo scowled. "Yeah, I've always wondered how they managed to get a law like that passed."

Hitsugaya shrugged. "Aizen's not the only corporate CEO with influence in Congress. The ostensible purpose is to prevent misuse of their equipment, which the companies are liable for, so I can see the purpose of the law. Anyway," he frowned again, "that's not our responsibility. Our job is simply to catch Aizen in violation of the law, and to work within the law ourselves. Do you think you can do that?" He leaned back, narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Ichigo carefully.

The other man sighed. "Yes. I can do it."

XxXxXxX

Grimmjow walked up to Ichigo as he was working, entering data into his laptop for transfer to the supercomputer later. "Hey Kurosaki."

"I'm busy, Jaegerjaques. Go away and bother me some other time."

"No, you gotta listen to me this time. I'm here with orders from Aizen. He wants me to take you to his office right away for a report."

"What?" Ichigo grimaced in exasperation. "I'm busy. Can't you tell him that I won't be able to get the work he wants done if he keeps interrupting me?"

Grimmjow grinned at him. "That doesn't matter to me. My orders are to bring you upstairs now."

Grumbling, Ichigo started putting his work away. "If this experiment goes wrong, it'll be his fault."

The blue-haired man laughed. "Tell him that."

Ichigo scowled at him. Grimmjow was actually the only other person he knew who sometimes sassed Aizen to his face. Whether he got away with it or not was unclear. Ichigo still didn't know how Grimmjow had lost his arm, but Orihime had learned that it was fairly recent. Ichigo had heard one rumor that it was a punishment from Aizen. It made him shudder, but he wouldn't put anything past Aizen by now.

"Hurry up," said Grimmjow. "You don't want to keep Aizen waiting."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," muttered Ichigo. He finished shutting down a set of jobs on the interactive node of the supercomputer and followed the blue-haired man out the door.

XxXxXxX

Grimmjow walked Ichigo up a familiar corridor on the top floor of the building. Ichigo scowled in memory. The last time he had been here had been that ill-fated attempt to confront Aizen several weeks ago.

This time the secretary let them in with no sign of recognition of the man who had waved a gun at her once. "Go right on in; he's expecting you."

They entered the huge, white, hushed office of the CEO of Las Noches. Aizen was working at his desk. He looked up and said politely, "Ah. Thank you for coming on such short notice, Ichigo." To the other man, he said, "You may go, Grimmjow."

The blue-haired man said, "Are you sure you want to be left alone with this guy?"

Aizen said calmly, "I'm sure Ichigo will take no hostile action against me." He glanced at the sullen expression on Ichigo's face and smirked. He looked back at Grimmjow, who hadn't moved, and injected an edge of steel into his voice. "I said, you may go."

Grimmjow spun on his heel and left. "Now then," said Aizen. "I'd like to show you something, Ichigo." He walked over to a waist-high column set in the floor with a palm reader at the top. He passed his hand over the reader, and the column made a whirring noise. A clear glass chamber was slowly extruded from the top of the column. A light came on in the chamber, revealing a glittering deep-blue jewel the size of a walnut.

Ichigo gasped. It looked like a blue diamond, but he had never seen a diamond that big. He looked more closely. Its many facets reflected the light, throwing back myriad glittering images, like reflections in a house of mirrors. "Wait a minute…" he said. He looked up at Aizen suspiciously, "Is that the…"

Aizen smirked with satisfaction. "Ah, I see you recognize it. This is the Hope Diamond, one of the largest, most flawless diamonds in the world. Forty-five and a half carats." His voice became as smooth as satin, as his eyes caressed the jewel. "Perhaps the most famous diamond ever. Priceless."

Ichigo swallowed. How could Aizen have stolen this treasure? Wasn't it under guard in a museum in New York or something? And, how could he have kept everyone from knowing?

"I'm showing this to you for several reasons, Ichigo." Aizen's voice was rich as chocolate now. "One, to let you know I trust you. You're working for me now, and as such you have privileges. Two, to show you something of what your rewards could be if you cooperate with me fully and are successful in your work."

Ichigo swallowed again. His first instinct was to shout at Aizen in outrage, but he realized that this was the sort of thing that Toshiro had meant for him to do when he said to draw Aizen out. "What do you mean?" he asked. "And how could you steal something like that without anyone knowing?"

Aizen smiled. His eyes were dark with pleasure as he gazed at the jewel. "I have always enjoyed possessing beautiful, powerful things. This jewel has been fought over; men and women have died for it; even kingdoms have been toppled for the sake of this one stone. I wanted to show you the extent of my power, and make sure you comprehend it fully." His gaze hardened as he turned back to Ichigo. "You need to understand: Laws simply don't apply to me. If I want anything, anything at all, all I have to do is reach out my hand and take it."

Ichigo couldn't keep himself from making a small sound of disbelief. Aizen ignored it and went on.

"I would like to show you, now, the benefits of cooperating with me. Those who serve me loyally are rewarded. Is there anything you want, Ichigo? For I have the power to give it to you. Anything."

Ichigo closed his eyes. He thought to himself, I should try to make it look like I'm having an inner struggle. It'll be suspicious if I give in too easily. He couldn't deny he was shaken. This evidence of Aizen's power was terrifying.

"Isn't that thing supposed to be cursed or something?" he asked finally. "Aren't you worried the curse will rebound on you?"

Aizen smirked again. "Come now, Ichigo, surely you are not superstitious." He went on, "You don't have to decide now. Take some time to think about your reward." He gestured magnanimously. "We'll have dinner in a week, and you can tell me your decision then."

Aizen passed his palm over the reader again, and the chamber with its glittering contents receded into the column and it sealed itself once more. Ichigo blinked; the room suddenly seemed emptier, as though some mysterious source of energy had been doused. He looked back at Aizen, who was smiling faintly at the column that held his treasure.

He wondered if his button had recorded anything that could be used in a trial. Perhaps nothing concrete, but surely that line about laws not applying to him wouldn't go over well in front of a jury.

"Uh, can I go back to work now?"

"Of course. I look forward to hearing your latest results."


	14. Chapter 14: Ichigo:Aizen

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 14**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Ichigo, Aizen

**Warnings:** just a hint of AiIchi

XxXxXxX

Ichigo stood waiting in front of the Las Noches building, in a very bad mood. How he had managed to get talked into having dinner with Aizen that night he still didn't know.

_Hitsugaya's small body had practically radiated energy when Ichigo had let him know about the invitation. "That's it! You've got to take him up on it. A private dinner is often the absolute best time to get the confession you want. He'll have loosened up, had a few drinks – it's perfect!"_

_Ichigo sat slumped in the chair in Urahara's basement. "But I can't stand being alone with him! He's going to come on to me, I know it." He glowered at the young FBI agent. "He already thinks he owns me, body and soul… You don't know what it's like having that bastard put his hands all over you. He already did it once when he had me tied up in his office." He looked down at the floor, his face flushing._

"_Ichigo." Urahara's voice was cajoling. "We know it's difficult. But this is our best hope to put Aizen away for good. Think about all the people Aizen has threatened… how he has treated your own fiancée… what we can expect from him in the future if someone doesn't stop him."_

_Hitsugaya put in, "The man's got himself protected every which way; he doesn't trust anyone. Until you came in, we didn't have a chance to get anything on Aizen. But he's let you get closer than anyone else. This is our best opportunity ever! We've already got some great material. We just need a bit more to make the case airtight. It might even be over in one evening!"_

_Ichigo let out a long sigh and ran his hand through his hair. Finally, he looked up and said, "All right. I'll do it."_

_The other two exhaled in relief and sat back in their chairs. "That's great, Kurosaki," said Hitsugaya. "I can't tell you how much I, and so many others, am going to appreciate this." He looked the other man straight in the eye. "I personally appreciate your sacrifice."_

"_Yeah, right," muttered Ichigo. "Just remember, I draw the line at making out with him. Some things I won't do at any price. And if he puts his hands on me, I'm walking out."_

"_No worries!" Urahara smiled at him from under his hat. "All you have to do is talk."_

Aizen pulled around the corner in a sleek silver sports car and parked in the red zone. He emerged from the car, smiling, to greet Ichigo. He was dressed all in black today, and Ichigo had to admit to himself that if one didn't know the man, one might find him very attractive, with his toned body and aura of dangerous, concealed energy. He turned away from Aizen and instead, gazed at the low-slung sports car.

He couldn't help himself. "Wow," he said, impressed. "Is that a Lamborghini?"

Aizen smirked. "The latest model Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670," he said. He held up the keys. "Want to drive?"

Ichigo was almost tempted. He might never get a chance to drive a car like that again. If he remembered right, list price hovered around half a million dollars. He scowled ferociously at Aizen. "No thanks. Don't you have a driver today?"

"I thought it would be fun to drive ourselves this evening."

He opened the passenger side door for Ichigo, who had to fold himself almost in half to slide into the luxurious leather interior. The car even smelled expensive. Ichigo looked out the window. He was sitting much lower to the ground than he usually did. It felt like he was sitting right against the pavement.

Aizen was grinning as he slid behind the driver's wheel. "You're missing out, Ichigo. This is a fine ride."

"Yeah," said Ichigo shortly. No point in dwelling on it. "So where are you taking us for dinner?"

Aizen pulled away from the curb and smoothly accelerated into traffic, powerful G-forces pressing Ichigo's body against the rear of the comfortable bucket seat. "A small place just outside of town. I think you'll like it. Quiet, private, and the chef has won numerous awards."

Watching Aizen drive, the orange-haired man itched to handle the stick shift; from the way the other man was shifting it must have been as smooth as butter. Aizen drove quite aggressively, although skillfully, one long-fingered hand draped casually over the wheel. He wove in and out of traffic, accelerating and decelerating rapidly but evenly to get around the last remains of rush hour traffic. His reflexes were clearly excellent, and the Lamborghini's handling was superb. Ichigo raised his eyebrows as they almost sideswiped a car, coming inches away from a collision. "Do you always drive like this? You must get a lot of tickets."

Aizen laughed quietly, not taking his eyes off the road as he maneuvered around yet another car that wasn't traveling fast enough for him. "I suppose it's an occupational hazard. But probably not as many as you might think. In any case, I can afford them."

They made it to the restaurant without incident and Aizen handed the keys to the valet, who appeared to be salivating as he took them. Once inside, they were ushered into a small private dining room with floor-to-ceiling plate glass windows overlooking a lush private garden. The foliage had been artfully trimmed back so that all that was visible from the diners' viewpoint was greenery, dramatic floral stands, small ponds, and carved stone bird and animal feeders. It almost felt like dining outdoors in the middle of a tropical forest, and Ichigo was impressed again in spite of himself. Aizen was acting like the perfect gentleman, graciously offering Ichigo the seat with the best view of the garden and pulling out his chair for him. It would have been churlish to be impolite, so Ichigo muttered his thanks and sat down.

Aizen was courteous throughout dinner, asking detailed technical questions about Ichigo's and Orihime's work, without pushing him or making inappropriate comments or demands. He appeared to be interested and pleased with the work so far, making insightful remarks that demonstrated a complete understanding of the scientific nuances involved.

The food was everything Aizen said it would be. Ichigo ordered grilled lamb with sweet peppers and roasted pumpkin while Aizen had roasted duck breast with shallots and chanterelle mushrooms. Each part of the meal was cooked to perfection, and the complex array of flavors set out in the appetizers and entrees blended in Ichigo's mouth in a satisfying mélange of autumnal warmth. Delicious but also comforting, and utterly gratifying.

As Ichigo was polishing off the last bit of roasted pumpkin on his plate, he leaned back and sighed. If Aizen were only this pleasant all the time, he wouldn't be bad company, he reflected. It was rare that Ichigo found someone who understood both the technical details and the big picture outlook in his field of medical research. Even Orihime tended to be very narrowly focused on her specialty, not as interested or knowledgeable about subtleties outside her own expertise. Aizen, on the other hand, had met Ichigo's conclusions with intriguing speculations of his own, leaping instantly to deductions Ichigo had been on the verge of making himself. Their conversation had already given Ichigo a number of ideas for novel research directions he was eager to work on tomorrow. It had been a stimulating conversation, of the type he rarely experienced even among other scientists. Aizen would have made an excellent research partner, Ichigo reluctantly admitted to himself, perhaps even better than anyone he'd worked with before. Too bad he was such an unethical jerk.

He eyed Aizen speculatively. The man was eating quietly for a moment, appearing to ponder the last knotty technical problem Ichigo had posed. But Ichigo was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, and for Aizen to make some inappropriate move or assert his dominance in an unpleasant fashion. He wondered why it hadn't happened yet.

Aizen was gazing out the window now at one of the carved stone troughs in the garden. The restaurant set out food to attract wild animals for the viewing pleasure of their guests, and throughout the evening various birds, squirrels, raccoons and other small animals had been wandering through the garden to nibble on the scraps set out for them. It was a playful, active scene as multiple creatures took their food and drink along with the human diners. As Ichigo watched, three large raccoons romped playfully with each other while sampling the food and chasing away squirrels who tried to infringe on their territory.

Then he noticed a sudden stillness among the animals. There was motion on the other side of the garden. Slowly, majestically, another animal emerged from the shadows. Sleek and black with a white stripe down its back, tail held high, the skunk sauntered slowly to the trough. Immediately and deferentially, the three raccoons backed away, ceding the entire area to the smaller animal. The skunk walked slowly to the feeder and began to eat. The garden was quiet and still as the skunk had his dinner in lonely majesty. Finally, he ambled off in another direction, and slowly, the other denizens of the garden crept back to finish the leavings.

Ichigo glanced over at Aizen and saw that the other man had been observing this little drama as intently as he had. Their eyes met, and it was Aizen who looked away. He picked up his glass of wine, twirled it in his fingers as he gazed into the surface of the liquid, and sipped. He said nothing.

Ichigo suddenly felt awkward. "Our family used to have a pet raccoon," he said, looking for small talk to break the silence.

Aizen raised his eyes to his politely. "Oh really?"

"Yes." Ichigo launched into one of his many funny stories about Isshin, describing his dad's inappropriate behavior around pets, including the menagerie they had grown up with in the Kurosaki household. Aizen chuckled appreciatively at all the right moments, but an air of melancholy appeared to hang around him.

When he spoke again, it was in a quiet voice. "You know," he said placidly, fixing his eyes again on his wine, "my aunt never allowed me to have a pet. She said," he paused and looked out at the garden again, "she said that children should not learn to love, as it only led to heartbreak in the end."

Ichigo didn't really know what to say to this comment, so he let it hang in the silence. Awkwardly, he picked at the last bit of food on his plate.

Now it was coming, he recalled from his brief training with Hitsugaya. The confessional mood. This was the point at which the target could be induced to make the statements that would incriminate him, that would lock him up in jail for good. It was time to give Aizen the rope to hang himself. But Ichigo also remembered something else from his reading about undercover work: at some point in the operation there came a risk that agents might begin to empathize with their targets, might begin to see them not merely as criminals but as fellow human beings. He lowered his head and said nothing.

It came to him with a flash of insight that the other man must have been profoundly lonely for a long time, that the reason he had not employed his standard domination strategy at dinner was that he had also been enjoying the conversation, a rare instant of communication between equals, a moment of respite in the midst of the constant battle against adversaries that was Aizen's life.

Then the waiter came to take their dessert orders and the moment was broken. Aizen sighed and seemed to gather himself together again, to remember that he was a powerful corporate lord who had no need to care for anyone or anything but himself. His face returned to its customary expression of amused detachment and he turned to Ichigo. "Would you like some dessert wine, or are you still mistrustful of taking a drink at my hands?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, suspicion returning. Whatever the moment of vulnerability and communication had been, it was over now. "Of course I would never have anything to drink with you. Your history speaks for itself."

Aizen sighed. "A pity. The wine here is so excellent. Ah well, I shall have another glass myself then."

XxXxXxX

As they stood waiting for the valet to bring the car around, Ichigo turned to Aizen. "I think I probably better drive home, since I didn't have anything to drink."

Aizen glanced at him, amused. "Very well. I wouldn't want to drive if it would make such a valued employee nervous." He tipped the bellman and passed the keys to Ichigo.

The Lamborghini handled like a dream. Ichigo had never driven anything so responsive. He found himself driving much faster than he normally did, zipping around curves as the sports car hugged the road. The other man smirked at him. "You'd enjoy owning a car like this, wouldn't you?" he asked softly.

Ichigo refused to reply, not wanting to give Aizen the satisfaction of receiving a response. He downshifted to make a tight turn, and abruptly heard a siren and saw lights in his rear-view mirror. "Shit," he muttered as he pulled over. Aizen wore a faintly superior smirk on his face but said nothing.

The officer was carrying a flashlight the size of a small cannon. Ichigo rolled down the window and gave him his driver's license as Aizen passed him the registration from the glove compartment. Ichigo sighed to himself. He already had one speeding ticket in the past year; that meant he couldn't clear this one with traffic school. It meant an increase on his insurance for sure.

When the officer left to handle the paperwork, Aizen unexpectedly opened the passenger door and slid out. "Stay here," he ordered Ichigo. The orange-haired man watched the rear-view mirror as Aizen walked to the police cruiser and engaged in conversation with the officer. After a few minutes Aizen returned with Ichigo's license, appearing even more amused than usual.

"Here," he said, tossing the license to the other man. "You've gotten off with a warning."

"What?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

"I told you. Laws don't apply to me," Aizen said with a smirk. "Nor to my companions, if I so choose."

Ichigo crossed his arms. "What did you do, bribe him? I don't need any favors from you."

"No favor to you," Aizen said serenely. "I merely prefer not to have my name and registration entered into the system at this time."

Ichigo glared at him for a minute. Finally he gave up and put the Lamborghini into reverse. There was silence in the car as they pulled out onto the highway and resumed the drive. After a long pause, Aizen said, "You still haven't told me."

Ichigo shot him a quizzical look, still familiarizing himself with the many switches and dials that made the dashboard look like a small cockpit.

"What you want as your reward," the brown-haired man said softly. "I meant what I said. You can have anything."

Ichigo looked at him, mouth set in a firm line. There was another long silence as Ichigo looked back at the road and concentrated on driving for a while. Then he said, "I want my freedom. Mine and Orihime's. After we finish this project for you, you allow us to leave and work somewhere else. And you leave us in peace for the rest of our lives."

"Ah," the other man said. He paused. "That, I'm afraid, is the one exception to my blanket statement." He gazed at the man sitting in the driver's seat, eyes traveling up and down his body. "I have you now and I shall never give you up."

The orange-haired man shot a fierce glare at him over his shoulder as he merged into another lane. "You bastard. You can't own people."

"No?" asked Aizen. He reached over and delicately ran his fingers through Ichigo's hair, smiling slightly as the other man recoiled. "Indeed, that is all I am able to do."


	15. Chapter 15: Ichigo:Orihime

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 15**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Orihime, Ichigo, Grimmjow

XxXxXxX

The days blurred together into weeks for Orihime; she threw herself into work with a vengeance, trying not to think about her personal situation, consoling herself with long hours together with Ichigo in the lab. In some ways, if she didn't think too deeply about what was going on in her life, it was an exciting time. She was working on a challenging problem of clear importance with the man she loved, and they were making progress daily. Working with Ichigo for hours on end over intellectual investigations was a joy. His quick mind met hers on the technical analyses and even frustrating problems were pleasurable because of his company, the warmth of his glance, the touch of his hand.

Looking up from her bench during a particularly knotty problem, she would catch a glimpse of orange hair and it would send a shock of delight through her that he was nearby, concentrating on his work. She would walk by his workstation – he had decided to build a complete computer human model to try to defer Aizen's demands for human trials – and see him bent over the keyboard, scowling ferociously at the screen. Then he would glance up and she would see that brilliant smile, his look of intense affection that said that there was no one in the world for him but her, and she would feel unaccountably protected and safe, that no matter what happened, he would trust her, take care of her, love her.

She was at the peak of her creative abilities and had few distractions. She didn't even need to go home. When she had asked Aizen for a cot in the lab, he had obliged by building her a full suite of rooms adjacent to the lab space, complete with kitchen and private bathroom.

In many ways, although she hated to admit it, there were significant advantages to working for Aizen over working at Gotei. Where previously she had had to beg for equipment from Yamamoto and justify every line item expenditure, even for a set of test tubes, here at Las Noches Aizen spent lavishly, even extravagantly, on her laboratory. He delivered everything she asked for without question, and even encouraged her to make purchases, insisting that she did not need to justify her requests.

"I trust you, Orihime, and I know you will not waste my money on irrelevant equipment." He leaned back in his leather chair and studied her thoughtfully. "I have instructed Purchasing to give you an unrestricted account; you do not need anyone's approval to make any purchases you desire."

"All right," she said a little doubtfully. She had never been given that kind of authority in any of her previous jobs, and it made her somewhat nervous.

Aizen smiled at her reassuringly. "All I want," he said softly, "is for you to be able to accomplish your research unfettered by limitations. I will do whatever is necessary to make that possible for you, Orihime."

Finally, what gave her the most peace was simply that he left her alone. There were no more innuendo-laden meetings where she had to dodge his advances. She merely had to give weekly written reports on her progress; only Ichigo had to give Aizen personal reports, and even that infrequently.

The work continued, steady progress building up day by day, and she felt she was on the verge of an important breakthrough.

XxXxXxX

Orihime finished viewing the last set of images from the latest comparative genomic hybridization microarray sequence she had run. She felt excitement bubble up in her. She turned to her desktop and ran the expression analysis test on the reverse transcription data one more time.

"Ichigo!" she called in excitement. "Come and look at this!"

He was sitting at the table across from her, staring intently at his computer screen, running yet another batch of trials on the supercomputer. "What?" he asked distractedly.

"I've got it! Finally we're getting a good outcome on the telomere rejection process! Come and look at the results here!" Her voice was animated and Ichigo looked up. He walked over to view the set of oligonucleotides on Orihime's latest microarray sequence.

"What have you got?"

"Look. The results of the TRF southern blot are very clear. The fluorescent in situ hybridization demonstrates that the eukaryotic telomeres on this latest batch of cells are increasing in length. We're actually reversing the cellular aging process without the use of telomerase. It's as though we're going through temporal regression."

Ichigo looked at the data on her monitor. He scrolled through the array of data, gradually becoming more excited. "Wow, Orihime!" he said, thrilled. "You've done it!" He picked her up around the waist and twirled her around.

She giggled and pushed at his shoulders. "Put me down! Put me down, silly!"

He grinned and set her down gently. "You finally did it! This is a breakthrough… I can't believe you've done it!"

"No," she said. "We did this together. I couldn't have done it without your combinatorial algorithms giving the correct molecular combinations for me to try on the cultures. There were just too many possibilities to hit upon the correct ones by chance. It was the heterogeneous basal extraction algorithm that you developed a couple weeks ago that gave me these breakthrough results. Remember, when you spent all weekend in the lab working on that set of new ideas you suddenly got at the end of the week? That did it!"

The two of them grinned at each other. Then Orihime said, "But of course, we'll need to run many more tests to make sure these results are valid."

At this comment, Ichigo looked at her, his face falling. They both suddenly sobered. "Aizen won't be satisfied with the cautious approach," he said. "He'll want to go to human trials right away, now."

"No…" Orihime whispered. "I've got to start with the live cultures first."

"We have to keep this development from him… We'll need to hide your results, Orihime." Ichigo insisted.

Orihime looked frightened. "Are you sure that's wise, Ichigo? Won't he find out?"

Ichigo looked around the lab. "Not if we can keep his spies away from this. Where's Grimmjow?"

"I haven't seen him since this morning," Orihime said.

"Did he see any of your results?"

"No," she said hesitantly. "This morning I was still running hybridizations of the radioactive oligonucleotide probes."

"All right. Here's what you do," said Ichigo. "Encrypt all your results and store them under coded file names. You can use this new symmetric key encryption algorithm I just developed, a variant of RSA encryption. I used an AES block cipher on the supercomputer to get the security level I needed. There's no way it can be broken, even using this machine, the fastest supercomputer in the world. But hurry, before Grimmjow gets back."

"All right," Orihime said nervously, turning away to begin working on her data. "Send the algorithm to my workstation with secure-copy and I'll get started."

They worked in silence for a while. Then Ichigo said, "What code name are you using to store your results?"

"It's all hidden under the phrase _Souten Kisshun_," Orihime replied.

XxXxXxX

That afternoon, Orihime was working in the lab by herself. Ichigo had left on an errand and Grimmjow had disappeared again.

Suddenly the door banged open and two girls barged in. Orihime spun on her lab stool to face them, surprised. She had not had any unexpected visitors, and had believed the lab door was under strict security. The two women were both wearing heavy makeup and skimpy outfits, very different from standard corporate attire, and their expressions were threatening and violent.

"Hello," said Orihime, trying a tentative smile. She still did not know many of the Las Noches employees and had been somewhat isolated here in the lab in the basement. The Gotei employees who had not been let go were scattered around the company, and Orihime's old set of lunch buddies had not been able to regroup. Maybe she could make new friends.

But the first woman, short and wiry with jet-black hair tied in two high ponytails, came to an abrupt stop only a foot away from Orihime and put her hands on her hips. "What's this I hear about you getting a special salary deal above our usual pay grades?" She glared at Orihime with ferocity.

"I…" Orihime faltered.

The blonde woman came up beside the other and turned an identical glare on Orihime, who shrank back. The blonde said, "She looks kind of ashamed of herself, Loly."

"Yeah," Loly responded. "Did you think that just because you were a high-and-mighty scientist with a fancy private lab and a special unrestricted account from Schiffer-san, that you could run roughshod over all the ordinary people here at Las Noches?" She stepped in even more closely and leaned in threateningly, her face only inches from Orihime's. "You think you're better than us?" she sneered at the older woman. Orihime could smell her cheap perfume, and drew back slightly. The woman tossed her black ponytails and narrowed her eyes in anger.

"We should tell her how things are run here at Las Noches," put in the blonde. "It's not like how Gotei worked. It's different here."

Loly continued with vitriol, "I'll have you know I work directly with Aizen-sama himself. I have connections and you better not cross me."

Orihime held out her hands in a placating manner. "I'm sorry; I don't know all the rules here."

Her attempt to be ingratiating only seemed to infuriate the two women. "Pleading ignorance, huh?" Loly spat.

"It's like she's playing innocent," added the blonde. "We've seen that before."

"Just you wait," screeched Loly. "I have influence, and people I don't like get fired. Here's what's gonna happen to –"

She was cut off as the door banged open a second time and Grimmjow entered the room. He loomed over the two smaller women with a threatening glower on his face. "What the fuck are you bitches doing here? You don't have the security clearance for this lab." He advanced menacingly on Loly. "Now get out before I throw you out bodily."

The two women tried to bluster for a moment, then wilted under his threat and ran out into the hall, muttering darkly to each other and throwing menacing glances over their shoulders at Orihime.

"And stay out!" shouted Grimmjow. "I'm gonna report this for sure!" He shook his head as he slammed the door shut behind them. "Those bimbos. Are you okay?" he asked Orihime, who was still sitting at the lab bench with a shell-shocked expression on her face.

"Yes, thank you, Grimmjow-san," said Orihime shakily. "I was just a little surprised by their – vehemence." She looked up at the blue-haired man, who was still frowning. "I've – never had someone approach me like that in an office before."

"Yeah, well, they're just a couple of cheap sluts," he groused. "Loly used to be one of Aizen's favorites, until she got too big for her britches and he dumped her. Now she tries to take it out on everyone else." He snorted. "She has a fancy title like 'corporate office manager' but she's really just a low-level grunt without any real authority. Don't pay any attention to her."

"Oh," Orihime said weakly, clutching her hands together, "I really don't understand the office politics around here. I certainly don't want to step on any toes."

"Hmph." Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "You certainly don't need to worry about Loly and Menoly's toes." He smirked. "They've got a bark a lot bigger than their bite. Just ignore them."

"They seemed to have so much – hostility…" murmured Orihime.

"Yeah," Grimmjow agreed. "You may not realize how much you've been talked up at the highest levels of the company. There's a lot of attention on you and your work. I'm not surprised those losers were jealous."

Orihime looked down. "Well, it was kind of you to come to my defense."

Grimmjow snorted again. "Don't thank me. I'm not doing anything special for you. I just hate to see bimbos acting like they own the place. Anyway, I gotta get back to work. See ya."

And with that he was gone, leaving Orihime staring at the door as it swung shut behind him. She shook her head. The corporate culture of Las Noches seemed strange and frightening, the menacing overtones of Loly's threats unnerving. It was not something she had experienced before, and she wondered again what it was going to lead to. She thought of the secret files on her computer with a guilty flush. Aizen did not run his company like other businesses were run; there was an atmosphere of violence beneath the surface, an implication of terror underneath the genteel mask. If he found out… what would he do to her and Ichigo, or have people like Loly do to her? She gave a brief shudder. She really hoped she would never know.

XxXxXxX

Later that week, Orihime looked up from her work suddenly and turned to Ichigo. Her face was ashen. "Ichigo. I've just come up with some devastating results."

He was at her side in a moment. "What is it?" he said with concern.

"I've realized… that with a very small change to the primary enzyme treatment, that this could be very dangerous."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at this." She pointed to a diagram of a molecule on her screen. "With this change to the molecular structure of the compound, it would easily cross the blood-brain barrier. What's more, I've computed that it will lead to a cascade reaction with the telomerase."

Ichigo's face paled. "You don't mean –"

"Yes." She regarded him resolutely. "Basically, this compound could be an airborne vector that would make it likely to be an instantaneous carcinogen. Breathe in some of this, and your body would be riddled with tumor cells within a few hours. This could be a terrible weapon, the equal to any of the biohazards developed this century."

Ichigo sucked in his breath as he looked at the three-dimensional molecular structure rotating on the screen. "Orihime," he said firmly, "You must immediately put this under an encryption seal. Of all things, this must _absolutely_ never fall into Aizen's hands."

Orihime was already typing away at her keyboard, her hands shaking. After a few moments, she looked up. "There," she said. "It's done and locked up. The code word is _Koten Zanshun_."


	16. Chapter 16: Orihime:Aizen:Ulquiorra:Grim

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 16**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Orihime, Aizen, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Ichigo

**Warnings**: One-sided AiHime, a hint of UlquiHime, GrimmHime. The chapter is Orihime-centric, as she interacts with each of the other characters.

* * *

Aizen laid the report down on the lab desk and looked at Orihime. "It's time for human trials, Orihime," he said quietly. "I've been patient long enough. There's only so far you can go with live cultures and computer models."

Orihime shuddered. So the moment had finally come. She tried her prepared excuse. "We haven't come far enough to test on humans. We don't have the correct formulas –"

"Orihime." Aizen's voice cut across her protests. "I am aware that you have gone further than you have intimated in your reports. You are ready."

Heart pounding, she looked at him in shock, suddenly all too aware of the tiny scrambler in her pocket. She had been very careful to turn it off before this meeting and the previous ones. How had he been able to penetrate their security? And how much did he know? "But…"

"I want you to start preparing the lab for human trials tonight."

She swallowed and stood up straighter. She knew she would have to defy him openly now. "I can't do that." She looked at him resolutely. "But I'm willing to run trials on myself, if I must."

He raised his eyebrows. "Such dedication." Then he sighed. "But it won't be necessary. I understand your concerns about…" he paused, and then laid just a hint of scorn on the next word – "_ethics_, and I have lined up volunteers for the trials."

She stared at him. "It doesn't matter if they've volunteered or not! It's unethical to run such trials this early in the process, before we even know the dangers." She swallowed. "I won't do it."

Aizen looked at her measuringly, before lidding his eyes, standing up gracefully, and walking around the desk to where she sat. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and said softly, "I think you've forgotten your position here, Orihime." She stiffened as she felt his hands begin to slide up her neck and into her hair. His long fingers stroked her cheek as he bent to whisper, his breath ghosting across the rim of her ear, "I've been very generous, very forgiving… Believe me, you'd hate for my tolerance to stop."

He turned her to face him and gazed deep into her eyes, now wide with alarm, and smiled in response. Her eyes were caught and held by his gaze as he gently ran his fingertips along her neckline. Then he turned her head to one side and abruptly captured her lips in a bruising kiss. She put her hands on his chest and tried to push him away, resisting fiercely, but he tightened his grip and chuckled deep in his throat. He finally let her go and she sprang back from him, gasping for breath and red in the face.

She stared at him, her mind a mass of confused emotions, anger, and fear. He perched on the edge of the desk and gazed at her in amusement. She thought bitterly to herself that it was unfair that she was so flustered and upset while he was utterly calm and collected.

"Ah, I'm pleased to see that you still feel attraction for me," he commented, and smirked as she flushed in anger and embarrassment. "Now, how would it be," he mused, "if we staged a little scene like that… just as Ichigo were coming back from lunch?" He laughed out loud at her look of horror.

"Now, I shouldn't have to spell it out for you – you're an intelligent woman," he continued softly. "You need to face reality." She closed her eyes and shuddered, as though trying to physically stop his quiet words from reaching her ears. "There are all kinds of ways that I can make your life – and Ichigo's – unpleasant if I so choose. But it would be much easier for all of us if you simply obeyed my orders."

She crumpled in the chair and bent her head, feeling her will crumble before his. Part of her wondered how he was able to do this, how easily his will seemed to dominate others, as though they were crushed beneath some kind of massively powerful but unseen pressure. His voice remained placid. "So, Orihime, will you go along with the experimental plan I outline, or do you prefer to suffer the consequences?"

She nodded without looking up. He placed one fingertip on her chin and tilted her head up to look into her eyes. "Say it out loud."

"I… I will go along with what you say," she stammered, hating herself for being so weak. He smiled gently and with his fingertip, delicately traced the line of her jaw down her neck to tug softly on the collar of her dress. She felt a deep tingling spread outward from his touch and willed herself to ignore it. She could see the desire in his eyes. She held her breath, frozen in place. Then he sighed softly and withdrew his hand from her skin.

"Very well," he said quietly. "We have an agreement." He lifted himself off the edge of the desk and moved back to the chair. He relaxed into the seat and rested his chin in his hand, regarding her. "It should not disturb your scruples too much, my dear, because all of the volunteers I have found are quite aware of the risks. They are willing to take them." He smiled. "Indeed, you might say this is even a humanitarian act, as some of them are quite… desperate for any kind of treatment, even an experimental one."

He looked at her carefully for a while before pushing the chair back and standing up. "We'll begin tomorrow," he said in a cold voice. "I expect you to have everything prepared."

After the door had closed behind him, Orihime sat staring at the wall in despair. She hated herself for letting Aizen run over her principles yet again. Bitterly, she admitted to herself that she was willing to compromise her ethics out of fear. She dropped her head into her arms and began crying quietly. There had to be a way out of Aizen's grip. There _had_ to be.

The door opened and she suddenly jerked upright, in a panic at having to deal with Ichigo's questions at the moment. But it was Grimmjow, who looked startled at her tear-streaked face.

"Hey," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice. "What's wrong?"

She turned her head away. "Nothing."

With a couple of strides, he was at the desk beside her. "No really, what's going on?"

"It's nothing," she repeated. "It's just… I don't want to start human trials right now, but… it looks like we'll… have to..." she trailed off.

Understanding dawned in his face. "You spoke with Aizen?" he asked.

At her nod, his mouth twisted in a grimace. "Well, you shouldn't worry about it," he said in an awkward attempt to be comforting. "I'm gonna be your first subject." At her expression of shock, he scowled. "Don't look so surprised." He raised his stump. "Don't you think I'd do anything to get my hand back?"

"No!" she cried. "Don't you realize that the risks of the treatment could be systemic? You could die from this!" Her eyes blazed at him.

In response, he only glared and slammed his stump down on the desk. "And don't _you_ realize that it's like being dead for me to be a goddamn cripple?" He gestured around the lab. "What lies in my future, a career as a lab assistant?" he spat resentfully. "I used to work in security; I was a fighter – a _damned_ _good_ fighter! And now I'm not even half a man like this!" He lowered his voice. "It's not worth living like this." His voice became more intense. "Don't you understand? I'd be willing to try anything for a chance of regrowth. I've read your reports. I know the chances. I _want_ to try this, Orihime." He put both hands on the arms of her chair and leaned into her, looming over her. "This is my choice; I'm not one of Aizen's guinea pigs, don't you understand, dammit?"

She shrank back from him as the door opened again and Ichigo barged into the room, scowling. He spotted Grimmjow menacing his fiancée and his eyes narrowed. "Jaegerjaques! Get the fuck away from her!"

When the blue-haired man snorted and ignored him, Ichigo tore across the room and grabbed Grimmjow by the collar. "Now listen to me, you bastard –"

"Take your hands off me," growled the other man, shoving Ichigo's arm away. He suddenly spun around, and with his good hand, connected with a powerful roundhouse blow to Ichigo's jaw, knocking him to the floor. Rubbing his jaw, Ichigo got up and advanced on Grimmjow with rage in his eyes. But before he could throw the next punch, he stopped.

"All right, Jaegerjaques. I'm not going to fight a one-armed man." He stepped back and crossed his arms. "But get out of here before I change my mind."

Grimmjow sneered in return and stood his ground. "Don't you think I can mop the floor with you with only one arm? It'll be a piece of cake."

Orihime fluttered around the two of them, trying ineffectually to get them to stop. "Please!" she said. "Please stop!" She couldn't think of what to say. "You'll break more of the experiment test tubes!"

The two stepped back from each other, breathing hard. "Well," said Grimmjow, "I've got something to do, so you're in luck, Kurosaki. You get off this time, but don't mess with me next time!" He turned and slammed the door behind him.

"What an asshole," muttered Ichigo, slumping into a chair.

"Are you okay?" she asked anxiously, eyeing the spreading bruise along his jaw.

"Yeah," he grunted, gingerly touching the bruise and wincing. "Yeah. I'll be okay." He looked up at her. "What was he doing to you?"

"Oh," she said, waving her hand dismissively, "he wasn't bothering me, don't worry. He was just telling me he wanted to volunteer –" She dropped her eyes. "Oh! Ichigo, Ai...Aizen came by." She found herself flushing, but forced herself to continue. "He wants to start human trials tomorrow."

"Damn it!" Ichigo growled. "It's too soon!" He pounded his fist into his hand. "I wouldn't even wish this on Jaegerjaques." He looked closely at Orihime. "What did you say to him?"

She hung her head. "I… I told him I'd go along with it," she whispered.

"Did he threaten you?" Ichigo stared at her with concern. She seemed very upset.

She nodded, not trusting herself to say anything more. In a moment, Ichigo had taken her into his arms and was stroking her hair. "Shh, shhh," he said in a comforting voice. He held her tightly as she began to weep silently into his shirt. "It's gonna be okay, Hime. It's gonna be okay. We'll get out of this mess… somehow."

XxXxXxX

Orihime worked late in the lab that night, getting everything set up for tomorrow's trials. As she pipetted a number of reagents into flasks and set some test tubes into centrifuges, she stopped for a moment to stare unseeingly at the far wall. A fanciful but dark image entered her mind: her heart was like a small bird beating its wings against the bars of a cage. She felt a huge wave of sorrow overwhelm her; she was completely trapped, and tomorrow she would be doing something that went against every fiber of her being.

Suddenly she heard a voice behind her and she spun in startlement.

Ulquiorra Schiffer was standing expressionlessly by the lab door, hands in his pockets. "How unexpected to find you here so late at night. You're looking rather well."

"Wha—!" she exclaimed, her heart pounding. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Just now," the black-haired attorney replied with a slight frown. "Don't make a fuss about every little thing, it's annoying."

She flushed, feeling the beating of her heart beginning to slow down. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to inform you that there has been a legal brief filed on your behalf," he said. "Some of your former co-workers at Gotei, Renji Abarai, Rukia Kuchiki, and a few others, have filed a motion protesting the non-compete agreements you signed with Las Noches."

She stared at him open-mouthed. "But… why?"

"I suppose they have some misguided notion of rescuing you." He gazed at her neutrally. "For them, there is no other reason than that."

Orihime suddenly felt warmth course over her, and from feeling utterly alone, she suddenly felt comforted. She had friends… allies… the situation was not completely hopeless. "For me?" she asked in a small voice.

"Indeed," replied Ulquiorra. "But for you, their actions should no longer hold any meaning. For you are one of us now. You belong to Las Noches." He gestured at the lab around her. "That's what it means that you are working here in this lab, on Aizen-sama's projects. You can never escape now."

"No," she whispered, sitting down, feeling weakness flood her body once more. It was true. With all she had done, and even more so once she conducted illegal human experiments, no company would ever hire her; she could even go to jail. There was nothing her friends could do to help her. Aizen had placed a cage around her soul just as securely as if he had locked her physically in a room.

Ulquiorra approached her, his green eyes boring intensely into hers. "I need to hear you say it. To whom do your body and soul belong?"

Orihime took a deep breath, and then bowed her head. "They belong to Aizen-sama," she whispered, "and are for his purpose and use."

XxXxXxX

Grimmjow sat blinking as Orihime finished the last of four injections. "This should have the effect of essentially regressing your cellular structure about two to five years. In layman's terms, your body will 'remember' the state it was in while you still had your arm, and it will regrow the tissue that it used to have. Actually, your entire body should become a few years younger – if it all works." She took a deep breath. "There," she said. "It's done." She stepped back, still feeling somewhat nauseous at what she had just done.

"That's it?" he asked. "That was easy! Are you sure that's gonna work?"

"No!" she flared at him. "Don't you get it? That's exactly it – I have no idea if it's going to work, if it's going to be ineffective, if it's going to be dangerous. We have absolutely _no idea_. You're in uncharted territory now."

"Huh," he muttered, staring at his stump, bandaged and strapped to a nutrient medium.

"You need to come back every morning for the next three weeks for further treatments. And if you start feeling any unusual pain, fever, or irritation, please come in right away for observation. And be careful with that bandage!"

"Hey, sure," he said, moving to the door. With his hand on the knob, he paused and looked back at her. "Yo," he said, and then hesitated. "Thanks."


	17. Chapter 17: Ichigo:Orihime:Aizen:Ulqui

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 17**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Orihime, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Ichigo, Hitsugaya, Szayel

**A/N:** Thanks to the lovely **le etoile** for beta'ing this chapter!

* * *

Ulquiorra walked away from the basement lab door, hands in his pockets and lost in thought. His mind was on the young woman, the scientist Orihime Inoue, somewhat to his surprise. Normally people held no interest for Ulquiorra. He lived for the clean, logical arguments of corporate law, the legal battles where logic reigned and emotion was immaterial. It satisfied him like nothing else.

Years ago when he had first met Sousuke Aizen, he had realized instantly that here was a man who would allow him freedom to exercise his mind in the pursuit of legal victories, unfettered by conventional notions of morality or ethics. In return, he had given Aizen absolute loyalty; a loyalty which had never once been broken. It was a pure and emotionless deal, an agreement from which they both benefited and Ulquiorra had thought that was all he ever needed.

But he now felt an alien emotion within his mind, that of admiration. Orihime Inoue was a woman of strong spirit. She hadn't even flinched at his questions. She recognized the dire situation she was in, but was refusing to be crushed even as Aizen's plans kept her trapped into a single course of action. He, against all expectations, was impressed with her strength. He realized, as he walked, that he had never found anyone impressive before. He tried to analyze his thoughts dispassionately. It was true she was beautiful: those huge gray eyes, that hair that shone like a summer sunset.

But he had never been affected by beauty before, neither from women nor men. Was it the combination of beauty and brains? But Aizen-sama was beautiful, and Ulquiorra had never felt such emotions towards his superior.

He continued walking, pondering the issue from various angles, his footsteps echoing hollowly along the long corridor. Suddenly, from behind one of the structural support columns in the basement corridor, he heard a voice. "Yo."

Ulquiorra looked disdainfully at the tall, lanky man with greasy black hair and an eyepatch. "Nnoitra," he said tonelessly. "What are you doing here? This is a high-security corridor."

Nnoitra ignored his question. "So, are you visiting our pet princess?" he asked with a suggestive leer.

Ulquiorra turned away in disgust. "Degenerate scum," he muttered scornfully as he continued down the corridor.

The tall man abruptly moved past him and placed a hand on the wall in front of him, blocking his path. "Don't get so testy. I'm just asking if things are going well with the experiments, that's all."

Ulquiorra somehow managed to look down his nose at the much taller man. "It's a trivial matter that you shouldn't concern yourself with. That woman has been under Aizen-sama's control since before she came to Las Noches."

"Ohhh," Nnoitra responded with a knowing sneer. "It was blackmail, wasn't it?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Ulquiorra gave him an arrogant glance. "This wasn't problematic enough to require it." He paused, wondering if he should waste his time speaking with this man, then decided it wasn't worth arguing. "The moment she was invited here, multiple psychological cages were put in place. She was induced to sign non-compete agreements under the impression she was doing it of her own free will. And now, by inducing her to perform experiments against her own code of ethics, the illusion is reinforced in her mind and even the will to escape will slowly melt away."

"Hmph." There was an uncharacteristic expression on Nnoitra's ugly face, as though he was actually thinking. "So it was well thought out then. Just what we'd expect of Aizen-sama, right?"

"Well thought out?" Ulquiorra echoed scornfully at Nnoitra's incomprehension. "This is all a game to Aizen-sama. Whether she was trapped or not, he would find some way to use it to his advantage. Either way, that woman no longer has the power to escape from us."

XxXxXxX

Orihime carefully unwrapped the bandages from Grimmjow's arm and bathed the stump in a fresh nutrient solution. She took a tiny biopsy needle and drew a tissue sample from the end, which had grown several inches since they had started the treatment. The blue-haired man sat quietly under her ministrations, unusually silent, watching the expression of concentration on her face as she worked.

"So, how's it going, doc?" he asked her after she had finished changing his bandages. "It looks good, doesn't it?" he said with a grin, indicating the new tissue on his arm.

Orihime frowned. "In the three weeks since we began the treatment, we're seeing solid evidence of new growth, and the cellular scans indicate the temporal regression at the basal cell level is proceeding as expected. However, I'm also seeing elevated levels of telomerase in multiple system pathways throughout your body, with concomitant elevated levels of tumor growth factor."

"So, uh, can you put that in terms an ordinary grunt like me can understand?" Grimmjow grinned at her.

"Your arm is regenerating, but you are at highly increased risk of cancer," she said sternly. "In other words, it's as I suspected. The treatment does create the temporal regression in your tissue, but at the price of increased tumor growth. I've started anti-tumor medications, but I don't know how effective they'll be." She looked at him steadily. "It was really too soon to perform human trials. You may grow back a new arm, but I may have killed you with this treatment."

"Hey," he shrugged. "It was my choice. Don't get your knickers in a twist over it. Besides," he smirked, "believe it or not, I always wanted to help science, and this is probably the best way I could. It's not like my using my brain would ever get me a place in the history books."

XxXxXxX

Orihime crossed the hall to the makeshift hospital ward that had been set up for their other "patients" in the sub-basement. Ichigo was there making the rounds, taking notes on a clipboard and scowling at a young woman lying unconscious on a bed, tubes inserted into every part of her body. Orihime watched Ichigo in silence for a moment and then approached him.

"So how is Loly's prognosis?" she asked quietly.

He grimaced before turning to face her, shaking his head. "I'm seeing increased tumor growth throughout her body. I would guess she's not going to make it."

Orihime swallowed and put her hand on Ichigo's arm. It was hard for a doctor to lose any patient, much less one where he had been involved in experimental treatment. She looked at Loly, who had been brought in unconscious with massive internal organ failure, on the verge of death. She had wondered what had caused the woman to show such unusual symptoms, and exactly how Aizen had obtained the half dozen "volunteers" he had brought to them who had all happened to be in the throes of a terminal illness. "Sometimes I wonder if we should have just refused to do this work, allowed him to kill us," she murmured.

Ichigo turned and looked at her in shock. "Hey, no way!" He said. "They were dying when they came in; we had to try to help them. Besides, I'm not giving up hope here yet. Actually, I've got a new idea for modulating the DNA replication process in the telomere routing pathways that might refine the cellular growth pattern." He went on to explain the details, and after a while, she also became cautiously excited. It was a radical new idea that made sense from a theoretical standpoint.

"It might work," she said carefully. "It's certainly worth a try."

XxXxXxX

Hitsugaya appeared quite happy. He was scowling slightly less than usual as they held their regular meeting in Urahara's basement. "Ichigo, I have to say, the tapes you've collected over the past few months have been even better than I expected. Your work has been simply brilliant. Just a few more days and I think we'll have him!" he exulted.

Ichigo said grumpily, "I don't know how much longer I can stand being an Uncle Tom around him and telling Orihime she has to do it too. It's ridiculous."

"All you have to do is keep it up just a tiny bit more, Ichigo. You've done a great job so far," Hitsugaya soothed him.

"I'm sure he suspects something is up. I'm acting so out-of-character!" Ichigo complained.

"Nonsense. Aizen's ego is too big. He just thinks you've finally succumbed to his charms," the agent said with a smirk. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

Hitsugaya sobered. "So we should be talking about the next steps," he said gravely. "The agency has started assembling an indictment to be sworn out against Aizen. Once we unseal the indictment, your situation will become riskier, Ichigo. Your role in the case may become more obvious. We'll try to disguise the facts as much as possible, but we may not be able to hide the critical details."

"When can I tell Orihime what we're planning?"

"Wait until after the indictment becomes public," replied Hitsugaya. "It's best for her not to know the details until then – it could put her at further risk." He paused as Ichigo scowled at that, and then continued, "Next, the government prosecutors will formally file charges and a grand jury will be seated. During this process, Aizen may take countermeasures, legal or extra-legal, against you. I'll be assigning you round-the-clock police protection at this time."

"Won't that be difficult if I'm working inside Aizen's corporate headquarters?" Ichigo inquired with a hint of sarcasm.

The white-haired agent frowned. "Can't you avoid going into the office? Work from home?"

"Uh, excuse me, I'm a doctor and my patients are there, and I need to work with Orihime."

Hitsugaya looked at Urahara meaningfully and indicated the older man should speak. "Er, about that, Ichigo…" the shopkeeper began. "You do realize that Orihime will be facing the same risks as you. Aizen is likely to try to use her against us as soon as he realizes what is happening."

Ichigo balled up his fists. "That's not acceptable! She didn't sign on for this. I want her protected. Can't you take her away, hide her somewhere?"

"She'll receive the same police protection you will, Ichigo."

"What about the witness protection program? Can't she be entered into that?"

The white-haired man hesitated. "I can try, Ichigo. But the problem is… it may not help."

Urahara put in, "Yeah, and she may not want to go, Ichigo. She'd have to give up her identity as a scientist, and all her work. It's not so easy to relocate someone with that much training. Remember, she'd have to be given an entire new identity with a different skill set to effectively hide her from Aizen. It's a serious step you'd be asking her to take."

Ichigo sighed. "But I have to do something to protect her. I can't just leave her there in Aizen's hands."

"Well, we're going to try to move fast on this, and see if we can take Aizen into custody and hold him without bail as a flight risk. That could hamper his ability to mobilize his resources." Hitsugaya leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Once he's in jail and cut off from his connections, it will be harder for him to call on the criminals that could pose the most serious threat to Dr. Inoue."

XxXxXxX

The door opened as Ichigo was working alone in the lab late one night. He looked up and saw a pale, black-haired man with brilliant green eyes standing in the doorway, hands in the pockets of his white suit.

"Ulquiorra," he said with a hostile twist of his lips. "What brings you here so late at night?" He killed the image on his screen with a quick set of keystrokes and stood to meet the other man, glowering. They had already clashed multiple times over the contents of the legal documents that he and Orihime had been forced to sign. The emotionless attorney had many times forced Ichigo to sign documents that were clearly unethical if not outright illegal and unenforceable. He was vicious and cold and appeared to view every encounter or discussion with Ichigo as a battle to the death. Ichigo was hoping that Hitsugaya would be able to swear out a second indictment on Ulquiorra as well. He really wanted to bring the bastard down.

"I was just coming to visit Orihime," the man said neutrally. "Sometimes she is here late at night."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "What have you been doing talking to Orihime?" he demanded. "I want you to stay away from her!"

The other man turned his head very slowly to regard Ichigo coldly. "The likes of you do not have the right to determine with whom I speak in the halls of this company."

"Well, I don't want you bothering her. She has a lot of work to do," said Ichigo harshly. "Did Aizen tell you to speak with her?"

Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows. "Aizen-sama's decisions are none of your concern, and that woman's life is now in his hands and out of yours."

"That's ridiculous," shouted Ichigo. "She's my fiancée and I damn well have a say in what happens to her."

"No." Ulquiorra's voice was stern. "She is now under our control. She may look like the same woman you have always known on the outside, but she is different on the inside."

Ichigo took a step forward and clenched his fists. "You'll never change what she is on the inside. No matter what you want to do." He frowned and stared more closely at Ulquiorra. "You know, I think I know what's going on. You have some kind of twisted _interest_ in her. I can read your motives better now. Does that mean I'm closer to becoming hollow inside, like so many of you in Las Noches, men without a heart? Or are you becoming closer to being a human?"

The lack of expression on Ulquiorra's face did not change. "She is one of us now. She belongs only to Aizen-sama. You had better come to accept that, or both you and she will suffer for it." He walked to the door and opened it, leaving the room without a further word.

XxXxXxX

Aizen was sitting in his executive office long past business hours that evening when the man he was expecting signaled at the door. The security video screen showed a slender man with fine, fluffy pink hair and glasses. Aizen buzzed him in, and then relaxed in his chair, resting his chin on one hand, to observe the newcomer.

The man sauntered in with a mincing step. He was wearing a white lab coat and closed-toed black sandals. As he approached Aizen's oversized desk, his attention was caught by the panoramic array of city lights spread out beneath them.

"My, what a view you have, Aizen-sama," he said in his drawling voice with mocking overtones as he came to a stop before his boss. "In my basement lab, I don't get a view at all."

Aizen smiled, gestured languidly with one slender hand, and matched the man's mocking tone. "Ah, but Szayel, you wouldn't want to be distracted by views… and besides, didn't you once tell me you felt… _exposed_… by windows?"

"Of course, Aizen-sama, you are correct as usual," replied the man. Aizen studied him carefully for a moment. This man, despite a number of peculiar habits (which Aizen had catalogued and videotaped for his files), had been his most brilliant scientist – before the coup which had secured him the Gotei Corporation, Orihime Inoue, and Ichigo Kurosaki. Szayel Aporro Granz had not been too happy to have been deposed from the favored position, but he was too intelligent to make any complaint about Aizen's decisions. Aizen still used him to lead all his medical projects that were … ethically ambiguous. Granz had no scruples and was easily controlled. Aizen paid him well and made sure that his little hobbies were documented but kept away from the eyes of the police. As a result, his loyalty was quite secure.

"Please have a seat." He gestured at the chair before his desk. "You are aware, I am sure, of the project now being led by Orihime Inoue and Ichigo Kurosaki?" Aizen, watching the other man's face closely, saw interest spark in his eyes. Yes. So he was keeping tabs on them, as he suspected. Szayel had an extensive network of informants and video surveillance cameras throughout Las Noches that Aizen permitted as long as Szayel made sure to report regularly to him.

"Yes," drawled Szayel. "Immortality, I understand?"

"That is of course top secret," warned Aizen.

"Of course, sir." Szayel's voice became crisp. "I have not mentioned this to anyone."

Aizen smiled. "You see, Inoue and Kurosaki were not altogether willing participants in my recent takeover of the Gotei Corporation." Szayel smiled back and said nothing, waiting to hear what Aizen had to say. "And it has recently come to my attention that they are not being completely forthcoming in their progress reports."

Szayel leaned forward with interest, his fluffy hair floating around his face. "Really?"

"Yes. They have encrypted the chemical formulas and complete lab notes under the code words _Souten Kisshun_ and _Koten Zanshun_ on the supercomputer. Unfortunately, all my efforts so far have failed to find the decryption key. I believe them to be using an algorithm of Kurosaki's invention."

Szayel listened attentively. "Hmm. _Twin Sacred Return Shield_ and _Solitary Sacred Cutting Shield _– how intriguing," he mused. "I wonder if the meanings hold a key to the codes?"

Aizen nodded, not surprised that Szayel was familiar with the meanings of the obscure words; the man possessed a vast store of arcane knowledge, a fact that had made him very useful to Aizen in the past. "Perhaps," he said. "I have not been able to discover it, if so." He continued, "I do believe that the first technique is the primary rejuvenation procedure, and the second may be an additional treatment process. Or it may simply be a red herring. In any event, I would like to uncover the full extent of both sets of files."

Szayel nodded. "Do you wish me to start attempting a decryption run on the supercomputer?"

"Yes, but I also believe that Ichigo and Orihime need some… assistance… with their research." Aizen smiled and Szayel almost instantly mimicked his expression. "I want you to join them in the lab as their colleague, to come up to speed on the project, observe their syntheses and tests, catalog their results – in short, render them all due assistance necessary."

The pink-haired man smirked in response. "Of course, Aizen-sama. I understand completely."

"The lab reports and computer access codes will be on your workstation in the morning. I expect you to start immediately. I want to hear your report as soon as possible. I need every detail of this process completely under my control right away." His voice was glacial, and he could tell by the look in Szayel's eyes that the man understood the importance of the command.

"It will be done, sir."

Aizen nodded in dismissal and Szayel got up and quietly glided from the room.

XxXxXxX

Ichigo sat back from the microscope with a sigh. It had been another long night at the lab. Orihime, hovering behind him, looked as exhausted as he felt. He slipped another slide beneath the objective lens and focused it, scrutinizing the image in the eyepiece carefully. His eyes narrowed briefly. They were burning and tearing, so he wasn't sure if what he was seeing was accurate. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and looked again. This time he was certain. He was feeling an unexpected emotion, one he hadn't experienced in a long time: Hope. And dawning excitement. "Orihime," he said. "Look at this." He moved aside so she could take a turn at the eyepiece.

She moved into position, taking a good minute to study the slide, her auburn hair falling over the microscope. Then she turned to him, her face alight. He was grinning. "This is amazing!" she said. "This tumor is dying!"


	18. Chapter 18: Ichigo:Orihime:Ulqui:Grimm

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 18**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Ichigo, Orihime, Ulquiorra, Hitsugaya, Urahara, Grimmjow

**A/N:** Thanks to the amazing **le etoile** for beta'ing this chapter!

* * *

The weather had turned cold that week, and there was a nip in the air as Ichigo walked briskly in the direction of Urahara's shop. It was good to get some physical activity after another marathon session in the lab and its accompanying hospital ward. Ichigo looked at the early-morning sun glinting off the windows of the skyscrapers, and realized that he was in a better mood than he had been for a long time. The results of his new medication had been astonishingly positive; all his patients had turned the corner and were recovering, their tumors shrinking to nothing. And Orihime's _Souten Kisshun_ treatment was producing miraculous results; he could almost see the patients becoming younger before his eyes. Overnight, the experiment seemed to have become a complete success.

But they were not out of the woods yet. His eyes narrowed. Although he and Orihime had been keeping all their lab notes under the encryption seal, Aizen was aware of their progress and was demanding more frequent and more detailed reports. It had been difficult for Ichigo and Orihime to continue to produce their carefully edited accounts. Aizen had sent one of his scientists to openly monitor their progress and work with them in the lab. Szayel Aporro Granz was, in Ichigo's mind, an unpleasant, pink-haired freak, perverted and unethical. But he had to admit the man was brilliant. He had already made a number of modest but significant contributions to the work, and Ichigo was afraid that he was rapidly moving towards being able to duplicate all their results completely.

Fortunately, he had not been able to crack Ichigo's encryption algorithm, though Ichigo was aware that he was mounting an all-out effort, running hero-sized parallel decryption jobs on the supercomputer using hundreds of thousands of cores. Ichigo's lips twitched upwards. He was glad Szayel was keeping busy on the decryption. He had a feeling Szayel's overconfidence was the only thing that was keeping Aizen from using brute force methods to compel Ichigo and Orihime to yield the keys to their coded lab notebooks. As long as Szayel kept thinking he was on the verge of discovering the key, Aizen would maintain the illusion that he was not going to take physical action against Orihime or Ichigo.

It was a race, Ichigo knew, a race between Aizen and Szayel working to discover the secrets of the treatment, and Ichigo and Hitsugaya working to assemble the case against Aizen. Ichigo still believed Aizen had not yet discovered the tiny buttons from the FBI that he had been employing to capture Aizen's own words and use them against him. Hitsugaya was more and more pleased every week. And surely, Ichigo thought, this last set of tapes would clinch the deal. Aizen had been more careless than usual the week before, smugly certain of his power over Ichigo. His words had been quite incriminating. Ichigo grinned to himself as he swung onto the steps leading to Urahara's shop and rang the bell.

XxXxXxX

Ulquiorra came silently into the lab and watched Orihime work for a few minutes. When she finally noticed him, she jumped as usual.

"Oh! Ulquiorra!" she squeaked. "I didn't see you."

He looked at her with stoic annoyance. He still could not understand why this silly woman held such a fascination for him. Although she was clearly highly intelligent, she let her emotions rule her to such an extent that it hampered her functioning. "I had a question for you, Orihime," he stated dispassionately. As he spoke her name, to his further astonishment, he felt a rush of emotion, of _pleasurable_ emotion. For some reason, even voicing the syllables of her name had an effect on him. He thought to himself, 'I must destroy this woman soon. Otherwise she will destroy me.'

Aloud, he said, "I wanted to ask you how the experiments were going."

"Oh," she said dully. "Well, they're going fine. The results are good."

Uncharacteristic impatience overtook him suddenly. "If the results are good, silly woman, why are you not pleased?" His expressionless face almost held a frown.

Orihime stared at him, finally pushed into an angry reply by his unconcern. "Don't you understand? The problem was that it was the wrong thing to do, to experiment with human lives. Don't you even have a heart?"

"Hearts?" he asked. "You are always talking about 'hearts,' as though you had one in your hand. But in my legal work, I see everything. What I don't see doesn't exist. Logic is how I've always won my cases. There is no heart in the law." He half-realized that he was speaking now partly to convince himself, with an urgent need to tear down the woman and her words.

She shook her head sadly at his speech. "No," she said. "Hearts are what make life worthwhile."

Angry now, he replied loudly, "What is a heart? If I rip open your chest, will I see it? If I crack open your skull, will I find it in there?"

She was shaking her head again, her expression serious, and her shining auburn hair floating back and forth. It caught his eye and distracted him from his train of thought, making him even more furious. "No, you can't really be saying that you're thinking of the physical object. I'm talking about feelings, emotions, love."

Something snapped within him. He approached her and stood over her menacingly. "Love!" he spat with uncharacteristic vehemence. "Words like that have no meaning. In this world, there is power and logic. Those are the forces that shape the world. People who rely on emotion and love get swept away, as you will be soon." He quieted and looked at her again with his brilliant green eyes. "You should be afraid. Aizen-sama controls you and your work. You have no options."

Orihime returned his gaze steadily. "No, I'm not afraid. What Aizen doesn't have is love. In the end, it's for that reason he's going to lose."

XxXxXxX

"Yes." The white-haired FBI agent pounded his fist into his hand, teal eyes glinting over a wide grin. "We have him now. The indictment is complete. It'll be announced tomorrow."

They were sitting in Urahara's basement room, which had grown more cluttered over the months, drinking tea out of Urahara's mismatched china cups.

"That must mean that we'll soon be able to move on the secondary legal actions," Urahara said, "releasing Ichigo and Orihime from the Las Noches contracts. As well as all the rest of us."

"Just wait till the indictment goes forward," Hitsugaya said. "Then you can take whatever action you want. The FBI is only interested in the criminal case against Aizen."

"Good," said Urahara. "Our lawyer has prepared all the documents and is ready." He glanced at Ichigo. "You know, once you are free of the Las Noches contracts and own your treatment free and clear, it means that you and Orihime will be rich and famous. This treatment of yours will change the world."

Ichigo shrugged. "I'm not even thinking about that now. I just want to get us out of Aizen's clutches."

"Well, it's about to happen." Hitsugaya picked up his coat and hat. "We celebrate tomorrow. I gotta run now – got lots of work to do to make sure everything happens on schedule. See you!"

XxXxXxX

When Hitsugaya had left the room, Urahara turned to Ichigo. "Seriously, have you given much thought to what your process means for our society?"

Ichigo hesitated. "Honestly, I haven't really. I know it'll be popular, to reverse aging –"

Urahara snorted. "That's the understatement of the year."

Ichigo made an impatient gesture. "But the fact is that it's still an experimental treatment. And it's very expensive – one course of treatment for one person is likely to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars even after we bring it into mass production. It's not really going to have a huge effect at first because its range will be so limited. We've only been able to come this far because Aizen has given us a blank check. He's been pouring millions into our work every month." He shrugged. "I've never worked for anyone who spent so profligately. He's been taking a big risk with his money – I don't think any other company would have done it."

Urahara nodded. "Yeah, it's now clear that Orihime would never have been successful at Gotei with their tight purse strings for R&D."

"Right. I can tell you of at least three critical junctures in the work where Aizen agreed to spend an astonishing amount on bringing in equipment or critical chemical supplies overnight – and each of those turned out to be key factors in our ultimate success. He even contributed technically. One of his ideas directly led to my biggest breakthrough. The fact is he believed in us when no one else would, and I'd have to say that he even deserves to be a co-inventor on any patents." He frowned thoughtfully.

Urahara said, "Why are you making that face?"

Ichigo said slowly, "I wonder. I don't really get it myself."

"You're risking your life," Urahara said, "protecting this world, to defeat Aizen."

"I know."

"You're doing the right thing."

"I know." Ichigo sighed. "And I only have to remind myself of what Aizen has done to me, to Orihime, to so many others… to know that I am doing the right thing. But still…" he trailed off.

"What?" asked Urahara curiously.

"I still wonder whether things could have been different, if…" He broke off again and looked at the floor. "I knew Aizen in high school, you know…"

"Yes?" Urahara prompted.

"Well, he was a bastard back then too," Ichigo conceded. "But I wonder… I don't think he's ever been close to anyone; he's never let anyone inside his guard. Could one friend have made a difference? Because when I think of what he could have accomplished, given different circumstances…"

"Ichigo," Urahara said, "Aizen made his own choices, and it's unlikely anything you or I could have done could have changed them. Don't torment yourself over might-have-beens. It's just not worth it."

"Yeah," said Ichigo, "I guess you're right."

XxXxXxX

"There." Orihime unwrapped the last bandages from Grimmjow's arm. "How does it feel?"

He held it up, wiggling the fingers, gazing at it with an expression of something that looked like awe on his bluff, rugged face. He turned to look at her with a wide grin. "It feels great!" He laughed shortly. "Kind of unbelievable. I feel like I'm at the center of a fairy-tale miracle."

Orihime frowned. "It's not magic, just modern science."

"Well, if science can do these kinds of things for us, it's trespassing on the territory claimed by gods." He smirked. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

"I'd like to run you through some more physical therapy exercises today," said Orihime, moving to a shelf mounted on the wall that held various compact pieces of equipment, including stretch bands, small hand exercisers and squeeze balls. She handed a ball to Grimmjow and began demonstrating the exercise she wanted him to do.

Grimmjow watched her carefully, and then began copying her motion. She moved closer to him to take his arm and adjust his action on the squeeze ball. Grimmjow startled briefly at her touch and then relaxed. He looked up at her and looked as though he were about to say something, then stopped. He continued mechanically squeezing the ball, his fingers gripping it tightly.

Orihime carefully studied the motions of his tendons as they shifted rhythmically beneath the skin of his wrists, and then nodded with satisfaction. "Everything looks very good," she said. She handed him some therapeutic putty and a stretch band.

Grimmjow began the next exercise, watching his own hand intently. After a while, he looked up at the woman standing beside him, a slight frown of concentration on her face. "Orihime?" he asked.

"Yes?" she said, distracted.

"Orihime, I –" he hesitated, "I wanted to ask you something."

She looked straight into his eyes, still frowning. "Yes?"

"I – well, you see –" he stopped. With a scowl, he said, "I just wanted to thank you, you know…" he indicated his arm. "For this."

"Oh!" she said in surprise. "Oh, sure. You're welcome." She gave him one of her brilliant, light-hearted smiles, full of delight in his gratitude. "I'm very glad it was able to work."

There was a long pause, during which the only sound was the small squeaking of the stretch band. Then Grimmjow broke the silence abruptly. "You know," he said in a low voice, "that I've been reporting on you and your work to Aizen."

"Oh," she said, surprised again at his admission, "yes, of course I know that's why you were brought in."

He bowed his head. "So you knew all along… and yet, you still helped me?"

"Of course!" she said cheerfully. "What should I have done?"

"It's just –" he paused. "I've never met anyone like you. Everyone I've ever known only thinks of power, jockeying for position, getting revenge on those who attack you…"

"Oh, I'm really not that special!" cried Orihime, waving her hands nervously. "I just wanted to help."

"Yeah." Grimmjow's expression turned to a scowl. "You're probably being pretty stupid, given your situation. And, don't think that you can expect any favors from me. My job is to report to Aizen, and I'm going to do it." He glared at her.

Orihime smiled at him. "Of course you should do your job! Don't worry, I don't expect anything."


	19. Chapter 19: Orihime:Ichigo:Aizen:Szayel

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 19**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Aizen, Szayel, Orihime, Ichigo

**A/N:** Thanks to **le etoile** for beta'ing this chapter.

* * *

"Send him in," Aizen said when he heard Szayel was waiting to see him. The pink-haired man sashayed into the office and sat down in the chair in front of Aizen's desk.

"Well?" Aizen inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Szayel began his report without preamble. "I've been making good progress in deducing some of the chemical compounds they are using in their treatment plan, filling in the gaps in their written reports. I've sent you the complete results in a file. That's the good news." Aizen nodded, eyes intent on the smaller man. "The decryption process… has not been going as well. I have so far failed to crack the code or even get an inkling of the type of algorithm he's using. I am currently running a parallel HDCP decryption algorithm on two hundred thousand cores of the supercomputer, using bit-slicing to achieve high rates; however, thus far I have not been successful in discovering any bits of the key." He grimaced, and Aizen frowned in concentration.

"Have you tried any of the HDCP test vectors from the specification, including the block cipher, stream cipher, or hashing algorithms?"

Szayel did not show any indication of surprise at his superior's technical knowledge. "Yes. I also tried a dynamic reconfigurable implementation of the parallel AES algorithm, but did not get anywhere there either."

"Hmmm." Aizen leaned back in his chair and rested his temple on the fingers of his left hand. "Do you have anything more you can try?"

The light glinted off Szayel's glasses. "I have a few more options, but by tomorrow night I'll have run out of ideas utilizing the passive approach." Szayel gave a quick toss of his head and flung his hair out of his eyes. "However, I have an idea for a rather unconventional, active approach for which I'd need your permission."

"Oh?" said Aizen, raising his eyebrows with curiosity.

"Yes," said Szayel, smirking slightly. "It would involve… some rather risky techniques, with a potential for … damage to the principals. However, I believe my approach would lead to a quick resolution to your problem."

"Ah," said Aizen, understanding the implications. "Tell me your proposal."

XxXxXxX

Orihime moved among the patients in the ward, going from bed to bed and checking their vital signs on the monitors and reviewing their charts. They were all doing so well and were so full of energy that none of them wanted to stay in bed any longer. Szayel had unilaterally decided to sedate all of them to keep them quiet. Orihime frowned. She couldn't stand the man, but he had made no secret of the fact that he was above them in the corporate pecking order and she had to obey him. He had additionally pointed out that she had run illegal human experiments and as such, would go straight to jail if he or Aizen chose to reveal the evidence. She grimaced again at the cages they had put in place around her.

Szayel had gathered copious evidence of the results of their work, including dramatic before and after videotapes of all their patients. Orihime had to admit it was very clear. Her _Souten Kisshun_ process, combined with Ichigo's tumor suppression treatment, was a fantastic success. They had had a 100% success rate with all their subjects. The implications were tremendous, and Orihime was only now beginning to come to grips with them.

She wondered again whether they were even doing the right thing, to bring this process to the world. The major hurdle to bringing the process into practical use was its cost. The treatment, to cure disease or turn back the aging process, was phenomenally expensive. Unfortunately, Orihime didn't see any obvious way to reduce the cost. This meant that it was going to remain a treatment accessible only to very few. That led to the conclusion that it was critical to determine who would have control of the process. Aizen had made it very clear that he planned to own the process, to dole it out to those who could pay the highest price.

However, Ichigo had told her only a few days ago about the FBI undercover operation, and that they finally had sufficient evidence to prosecute Aizen for his crimes. To Orihime, that had suddenly opened up the possibility of freedom, of release from Aizen's cage. It had been a tremendous relief, and Orihime had felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Finally, to be free of that man, for her life to be her own again. She had not realized how miserable she had been the past few months until she found herself singing in her house and buying flowers to set out in every room. Even her interest in cooking had been suddenly revived.

Now, however, Orihime frowned. Once Aizen was gone, who would take over Las Noches and what would they do with the treatments? She looked down at the chart she was holding, unseeing, and gripped her pen tightly. Clearly, as long as a single corporation had power over the process, there would be potential for as much evil as under Aizen's control. She was only now beginning to see that sending Aizen to jail was not going to be the answer to all their problems.

Plus there was the additional worry about the _Koten Zanshun_ process, the dark side of her work. She and Ichigo had made a small batch and tested it on live cultures. It appeared to be as potent a weapon as they had suspected. Ichigo had kept the substance under lock and key ever since, but it made Orihime nervous. She was terrified of the possibility that even the knowledge that it existed could become public. There were so many people, and governments, that would not hesitate to bring such a weapon under their control. She shivered, realizing that her own government might even use the excuse of patriotism, claiming that such a powerful weapon should be brought secretly to the attention of her own country, and threatening her and Ichigo with treason or prison for not yielding their secrets to them. It might seem far-fetched, but she knew that the history of her own country was littered with such examples. She shuddered. Compared to such actions, even Aizen's evil seemed trivial. She and Ichigo seemed like very small pebbles standing in the way of a huge flood. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

At that moment, Ichigo entered the room with another set of test tubes. Her heart lifted as it always did when she laid eyes on him, and she smiled brightly at him. He returned the smile, appearing uncharacteristically light of heart. It had also been an enormous relief to him, to finally be turning the tables on Aizen.

As soon she saw him, she felt a great sense of strength pour back into her. She could count on Ichigo to support her in whatever she did. The two of them would be able to discuss the implications of their work and come up with a plan to disseminate it in the most ethical way possible. She realized that it was her love for Ichigo, and his for her, that gave them both the strength to face these impossible challenges. Without their love, the world would be a cold and empty place. But with it, there was reason to fight. There was reason to try to build a healthier, saner world. For the future… and, she thought with a sudden inner giggle, for their children. She shook her head. She had often thought of having children with Ichigo before, but they had always known children were a long ways in their future. Now she realized that she wanted them sooner rather than later. Perhaps it was the sense of relaxation after the fight with Aizen. Perhaps now was the time to think of the future.

Her emotions flooded her, and she felt rekindled determination to find the best solution to the problem. She knew that, with Ichigo beside her, she would have the strength to figure it all out. She smiled again warmly at him and bent to her work with renewed resolve.

XxXxXxX

"You see," Szayel said to Aizen, "they have been very careful to hide the full treatment spectrum they are using on the current subjects from me. They've been able to do this because they've had plenty of time to set up the process. What I'd like to do is induce an emergency situation. I believe this will cause them to disregard their safeguards and move directly to the treatment."

"Yes?" said Aizen, intrigued. "What do you propose?"

"I'd like to infect Ichigo Kurosaki with a type of necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacterium with an accelerated lifecycle." The man smirked, clearly pleased with himself and his idea. "Inoue will have no choice but to go to an emergency, high-dose treatment procedure if she wishes to save his life."

Aizen frowned and sat back. "But how do we know Kurosaki will survive this attack?" He gazed searchingly at the pink-haired man and said softly, "He is a valued employee of this corporation and not merely another of your experimental subjects, regardless of any jealousy you might feel toward him."

Szayel shook his hair away from his face. "This has nothing to do with jealousy," he insisted. "I guarantee that Inoue's treatment will stop the infection and heal him. It is really a remarkable process." He paused and continued in an almost awe-struck voice, "I've never seen anything like it. It's almost as though… the nature of reality can be completely rejected and returned to a previous state."

Aizen raised his eyebrows at Szayel's uncharacteristic flight of eloquence. Then he lidded his eyes and considered. Finally he said softly, "Very well. You may go ahead."

Smirking, Szayel exited the office.

After he left, Aizen sighed and turned to look out the window at the dramatic view, which he never failed to tire of. Seeing the city spread at his feet gave him a feeling of… completion, somehow. Of being above everything, particularly the petty human emotions which only served to limit and drag one down. He had to admit to himself that his recent association with Ichigo and Orihime had… disturbed him, disrupted his normal equilibrium. He wanted to think of them only as particularly valuable assets, but they both kept bringing up other thoughts in him… other _emotions…_ and emotions were dangerous to a man in his position.

He reminded himself he had to remain calm and logical, the master of the chessboard, seeing all the moves well in advance, his vision unclouded by any emotion. He had worked so long and so hard to bring his own feelings completely under control. For emotions could kill you. He had learned that as a very young child. He had witnessed people die in front of him because they could not restrain their emotions. He himself had survived in a dangerous world this long only because of his iron will. He took a deep breath and let it out, again surveying the view beneath his window. Yes. Once more, he was in control. Ichigo and Orihime were nothing but tools to be used, enemies to be manipulated so that the world would fall more thoroughly under his domination. That was the way it must be. A winner thought only about how to shape the world according to his will. If Ichigo and Orihime were to die, it would not matter to him; his only concern should be that he not be implicated in their deaths. They were dangerous to him now and should be treated appropriately. He needed to extract their secrets from them and maintain psychological control over them. That was all.

He would not listen to the irrational voice within him that was telling him to call back Szayel, to rescind the order he had given him, to that inordinately strange feeling of _protectiveness _for Ichigo and Orihime. It was illogical and it would pass. He turned back to his desk and bent resolutely to his work.


	20. Chapter 20: Ichigo:Orihime:Szayel:Gin

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 20**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Ichigo, Orihime, Szayel, Gin

**A/N:** Thanks to **le etoile** for beta'ing this chapter.

* * *

Ichigo and Orihime were working in the lab when she heard him groan suddenly. She looked over at him in concern. He was leaning against the lab bench, his hand on his head. She ran over to him.

"Ichigo, are you all right?"

He mumbled, "Yeah, I'm OK…" but then he trailed off and she saw that his face was flushed. She put her hand on his forehead. It was burning up. She saw in shock that the skin around his cheeks was discolored and swollen, with irregular dark red patches appearing to be surfacing from beneath his skin.

"Ichigo!" she exclaimed. "You have a fever. You should lie down!"

"Yeah," he muttered, but then he slowly slid to the floor. In a panic, Orihime wondered what to do. She should call 911, call a doctor. She remembered Szayel was a doctor, and hesitated only an instant before deciding to get his help. Even if she didn't like the man, surely he would be able to help Ichigo.

"I'll be right back!" she called to Ichigo as she ran out the lab door. Szayel had been in the hospital ward earlier. She ran to the ward door and pushed it open. The pink-haired physician looked up from the IV he was replacing in one of the patients.

"Orihime, whatever is the matter?" he asked in that drawling voice that never failed to get on her nerves.

"Szayel, it's Ichigo. He's collapsed, and I think he has a fever. Could you please come and examine him?"

His face slowly changed expression, and she realized that he was trying to appear concerned. "Oh dear. Well, let me finish this up and I'll be right there."

Orihime ran back to the lab to check on Ichigo. He was still lying on the floor where she had left him. In a panic, she picked him up – he seemed to weigh very little – and carried him over to one of the couches along the wall. She laid his unconscious form out along the couch, stroking his burning hot, distorted face and smoothing back the damp strands of his shock of orange hair. "Ichigo," she murmured, biting her lip in concern.

Szayel appeared at her side with a physician's bag. He proceeded to do a quick and efficient examination, gazing with concern at the misshapen violet patches on Ichigo's face. His eyes narrowed.

"What is it?" asked Orihime anxiously.

"I'm not sure yet," Szayel said, "but we better get him over to the hospital wing. It looks like it could be serious."

XxXxXxX

Szayel straightened from the hospital bed and sighed, stepping back from completing his examination of Ichigo's unconscious body. He turned to Orihime. "I'm afraid it's quite serious."

"What is it?" she asked, nearly panicking.

"Ichigo appears to be infected with a particularly virulent type of flesh-eating bacteria, perhaps _vibrio vulnificus_ or _clostridium perfringens_. We need to give him intravenous antibiotics and prep him for immediate surgical debridement of the necrotic tissue." He rattled off the directions rapidly and she could barely understand what he was saying.

"What!" cried Orihime. "You're going to cut away all the infected tissue? That's got to be dangerous!"

"I'm sorry, Orihime," said Szayel, putting a hand on her shoulder in what was undoubtedly meant to be a consoling gesture, but which only felt creepy to her. "Without surgical debridement, this disease has a 93% mortality rate."

XxXxXxX

Orihime stood by as Szayel began preparations for surgery. Ichigo lay on the table, breathing irregularly. Orihime suddenly said, "Szayel. Are there any options other than the surgical debridement of the tissue?"

Szayel looked up, his pink hair waving. He appeared to be considering. "The bacteria will continue to spread without it, and the patient will die. There is no other option. Even then, I can't guarantee he'll live in any event. And he's likely to have major brain damage due to the location of the damaged tissue on his head. You need to be prepared for that." He turned back to his surgical tools.

She whispered, "But now we have _Souten Kisshun_." Her gaze strayed to Ichigo's discolored face.

The pink-haired man paused. "You'd conduct an experimental treatment on your own fiancé?" A smile spread across his face as she reddened. "My, I _have_ underestimated you, Orihime. I didn't realize your ethics were so… _flexible_."

She said, distressed, "You've said yourself that the process has been thoroughly tested and has shown more than enough evidence of success. I think it's the only chance. We have to do it." She clenched her fists.

"Well." Szayel sat back, gazing at her. "If you say so, I'm certainly up for another … subject." He smirked as she flushed. "Shall we begin then? I'd be happy to assist you."

XxXxXxX

She bustled about, gathering the equipment and arranging the proper doses of the appropriate chemicals needed for the treatment. Her eyes were stinging with tears but her hands did not stop making the complicated motions to extract the compounds. Szayel sat with her, assisting her as she gave directions to him.

She moved to Ichigo's bedside and began infusing the first of the treatments into his IV. As she gazed at him in love and worry, Szayel came up beside her. She looked up at him. "Szayel, tell me this. How could Ichigo have become exposed to this bacterium?"

His face became calculating. "Well, in theory it could have been anywhere. It's a very common strain. However…" he trailed off.

"What?" she asked.

"No, I don't think it would be good for me to go any further with this line of speculation," he said, sounding reluctant to continue.

"No, what?" she insisted.

He sighed. "Well, I suppose you have the right to know, seeing as it is your fiancé…" He looked her directly in the eyes. "I have seen this strain twice before… in two individuals, business associates from another corporation, who were being… resistant to certain key demands that Las Noches was making. I remember I was surprised when they both came down with this bacterial infection. It took them completely out of the negotiations and the deal was concluded successfully. It appeared to be quite a stroke of luck for Las Noches." He paused to scrutinize Orihime's shocked face.

"You don't mean to say…" she gasped.

"Of course not," he hastened to deny her words. "I would never make any such accusation. There was not a shred of evidence in any case."

Orihime turned away. She knew for a fact that Aizen had drugged her food without her knowledge, probably multiple times. Hard though it might be to acknowledge, he was certainly capable of introducing foreign substances into either of their bodies without their awareness. He had even bragged to her once about Las Noches' expertise in novel drug delivery systems.

"But… why?" she said, almost to herself.

Szayel responded quickly. "Not that I'm saying he would do anything, but Aizen has become aware that Ichigo has been involved in bringing an indictment against him. He… is a big believer in revenge."

Orihime's face slowly hardened. So that was it. Not satisfied with capturing them and making them virtual slaves in his corporation, Aizen was torturing Ichigo to death? She felt an incredible flame of anger ignite in her. She looked at Ichigo gasping for breath on the bed. Well, she just wouldn't allow it. She _refused_ to allow it. The treatment _had_ to work. She would heal Ichigo. She bent to his side, her once gentle face as hard as a blade.

Behind Orihime and unseen by her, Szayel's face held a faint smirk.

XxXxXxX

The pink-haired man walked up a long, hushed hallway over thick white carpet. The lights were dim as it was well past working hours. He paused at a set of heavy double doors and tapped out a key code. There was a voice from the intercom.

"Yes?"

"It's Szayel," he said quietly.

The door was buzzed open and he entered the room. The large, opulent office belonged to Gin Ichimaru, Aizen's second-in-command and the President of Las Noches Corporation. Sitting behind a large mahogany desk was a rail-thin man with fine silver hair and eyes slitted almost shut. He looked up at Szayel with a grin on his face.

"Well?" he inquired.

Szayel came up and stood before him, bowing his head. "Sir, Operation _Kamishini no Yari_ is in place as you ordered. The bacteria is dissolving Kurosaki's flesh from the inside, and I have planted the appropriate seeds of suspicion in Inoue's ears."

Ichimaru's grin became wider. "Excellent. I want you to keep monitoring the situation, and report to me on a regular basis."

Szayel nodded and withdrew.

When he had left, Ichimaru twirled a letter opener in his long fingers. Soon the operation would be complete. This would finalize the evidence of attempted murder and complete the case against his CEO. Inoue would testify, Aizen would be imprisoned, and the reins of power in Las Noches would fall to him, including the golden prize of Inoue's and Kurosaki's immortality treatments, along with all the rewards it would bring to its possessor. And Aizen… Aizen would be discredited and powerless; a final stroke of justice for what he had done to the only person Ichimaru had ever cared for, so long ago that Aizen had certainly forgotten.

"Rangiku…" he whispered. She was long gone, and Ichimaru had been left to follow Aizen along his meteoric but heartless path to wealth and power. "At last I will have revenge…" He formed the words with his lips but no sound issued from them. He leaned back in his chair and looked off into the distance.

Ichimaru smiled.

XxXxXxX

Orihime watched as the IV fluid dripped slowly into Ichigo's veins. She had been up all night, painstakingly going through the treatment process. And she had to give Szayel credit. Despite her dislike of the man, he had been by her side the entire night, quietly assisting her as she worked through the process. Without his help, she could not have completed the treatment as rapidly as Ichigo needed.

She looked at Ichigo's face. The mottled discoloration and inflammation had almost completely disappeared. As always, she felt the renewed sense of wonder that her own invention could have such a miraculous effect.

Ichigo's eyes opened, and his lips curved into a smile at the sight of her face so close to his. "Orihime," he whispered.

"Ichigo," she replied, stroking his hair back from his forehead. "You're back."

He closed his eyes momentarily, apparently dizzy. "What— what happened?"

She glanced at Szayel. "You were infected with flesh-eating bacteria. But it's all right now. I've given you the full _Souten Kisshun_ treatment and you're fine."

"Wha—" Ichigo tried to get up, but the gentle pressure of her arm kept him down. "Don't get up. You still need to rest. Don't worry; we've got everything under control." Ichigo's eyes traveled to Szayel sitting on the other side of the bed. "Yes, Szayel helped diagnose you and has been working with me on the treatment."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "Orihime, how can we trust this bastard? How do you know he didn't infect me himself?"

Szayel put a hand to his chest in mock indignation. "How hurtful. And here I've been up all night ministering to you."

Orihime frowned at them both. "No, Szayel has been helping us. He diagnosed you. And Ichigo, apparently two other people came down with the same bacterial infection… after opposing Aizen during a corporate takeover last year."

Ichigo stared at her. "You mean—"

"Yes," she said, her eyes narrowing with a burning anger he had never seen in her before, "Aizen must have infected you, in revenge for your work on the indictment."

* * *

**A/N:** Poor Ichigo! I really felt sorry for what I put him through in this chapter... And Szayel just creeps me out...

I hope you're enjoying this story. Five more chapters to go!


	21. Chapter 21: Orihime:Ichigo:Szayel:Aizen

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 21**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Orihime, Grimmjow, Ichigo, Szayel, Aizen

**A/N:** Thanks to **le etoile** for beta'ing this chapter.

* * *

"Hey." A blue-haired head poked around the edge of the lab door with a grin.

"Grimmjow!" Orihime called with a delighted smile. "How are you doing today? How's the arm?"

He swaggered into the room flexing the arm. "Just look at it! It's completely back! I've been working out, and I've got all my old moves back. Once again, I'm the best fighter in the city," he proclaimed with a growl of pride.

"That's just great!" encouraged Orihime in a bright voice. "So, are you going to ask for your old security job back?"

Grimmjow's face suddenly became serious. "I… don't know." He turned one of the lab chairs around and sat astride it with his arms on the back. "I've actually been thinking of leaving Las Noches."

"Oh, really?" asked Orihime in surprise. "Why would you do that?"

The blue-haired man grimaced, clearly uncomfortable. "Well. I, uh, never really thought too hard about what this place was like. I started working here right after I dropped out of high school, and I didn't know anything else." He looked up with a glare. "Not that there's anything wrong with Las Noches, or with what I've been doing."

"Oh, of course not!" said Orihime brightly.

"But— I'm just thinking that it might be time to, you know, broaden my horizons. Maybe go back to school."

"That would be terrific!" she said, giving him a thumbs-up of encouragement.

"And yeah," he said as he got up to leave, "if there's ever anything I can do for you… just let me know. I don't know if there's anything I can really do to help," he grimaced and gestured at the building around them to indicate he understood her true position, "but if there is… let me know."

She looked straight into his eyes. "Thanks. I will."

XxXxXxX

Szayel finished examining Ichigo as Orihime watched anxiously. "Well, you're completely cured," he drawled. "You can go back to your insanely busy work schedule." He began putting his equipment away. "Another success story for your treatment process."

Orihime gave Ichigo a big hug as he lay in the bed and smiled at him with deep happiness in her eyes. Ichigo squeezed her hand in response.

"So, do you need me for anything more today?" inquired Szayel. "I have another project I need to work on now."

"No, no problem," said Orihime. "Go ahead."

When he had left, she turned to Ichigo. "What are we going to do now? Aizen has shown that he's willing to kill you. How do we know he won't make another try?"

"We just sit tight, Orihime," Ichigo said firmly, swinging out of the hospital bed. "The indictment is being unsealed today. He'll be taken into custody this afternoon, and that's going to make it a lot harder for him to take any action against us." He took her hand and smiled warmly at her. "It's the endgame, Orihime. It's almost over."

XxXxXxX

In his quiet, darkened executive office, Aizen was reviewing a surveillance video. His lips quirked into a smile as he watched, resting his chin on his hand. It had been worth all the expense and trouble he went to, to have his own personal security system installed throughout the building. It had been extraordinarily expensive both in dollars and in the actions he had had to take to make sure it remained secret, that no inconvenient loose talk would betray him. But worth it. The system was shielded so that the most sensitive sniffing equipment could not detect it. That meant that all his minions' scramblers and detection equipment were useless. They all believed they were so clever, that they were unobserved, from Gin to Szayel to Kaname, but they were all under his eyes. He was able to collect information on all of them without their awareness.

He smiled at the thought of the knowledge he had accumulated and the power it gave him. It amused him to let his underlings and opponents run about on their silly little tracks, foolishly assuming that they might actually be able to outwit him at his own game. Illusion, trickery, convoluted plots—he was the only master. It was quite entertaining to watch them scurry around like ants trapped in a complex maze beyond their understanding.

The same went for Ichigo Kurosaki, Kisuke Urahara, and Toshiro Hitsugaya—his smile broadened. For them, he had taken a different approach. Although he had not been able to penetrate all of their secrets—for some reason, his surveillance system had not worked perfectly around them—they were still merely playing around like small puppets, not realizing that Aizen held the strings of the big puppets.

And as for those closer to his hand? He had them trapped in psychological cages. As for Orihime Inoue, she did not have the will, or the strength, to defy him.

XxXxXxX

Ulquiorra watched as Szayel came out of the lab door. The pink-haired man did an elaborate double-take when he saw the lawyer. "Why, Ulquiorra, how nice to meet you here," he exclaimed in a mocking tone. "Are you coming to speak with Aizen's lovely little… favorite?"

Ulquiorra's nostrils flared. "Don't be disgusting. I am simply performing my duties."

"She's quite attractive." Szayel smirked, making a lewd gesture with two cupped hands. "I can see why you want to spend time with her. But it's true that I think she is being rather rebellious, trying to hide information from Aizen-sama. Do you think you can get her tamed?"

The black-haired man said without expression, "There is no need for that. When the time comes, she will perform according to Aizen-sama's will. She is completely under his control."

"Oh?" questioned Szayel, his fringe of hair waving as he tilted his head in inquiry. "I'm not so sure about that. However, in the end, I suppose, it won't make a bit of difference."

XxXxXxX

"You summoned me, sir?" asked Szayel, eyeing the man behind the large desk as he seated himself.

"Yes," Aizen said softly. He leaned back in his chair. "Szayel, how long have you worked for me?"

The pink-haired man raised his eyebrows at the question. "Nearly ten years, sir."

"And in all that time, have I treated you well?"

"Of course, sir," said Szayel. His eyes flicked back and forth, and Aizen saw a slight sheen of sweat appear on his forehead.

Aizen smiled benevolently at the smaller man. "A very interesting project has come to my attention recently, Szayel."

"Oh?" the other man inquired, crossing his legs and trying to appear casual. "What is it about?"

"I think you know, Szayel." Aizen almost purred. His eyes went dark, and Szayel shivered slightly. "Does the name _Kamishini no Yari_ ring a bell?"

The pink-haired man stiffened in shock, even as he tried to dissemble. "Uh, no. What does it mean?"

Aizen narrowed his eyes and his voice was hard as steel. "Stop wasting my time. We both know what is going on here with Gin's... little… undertaking. And your part in it." He paused and studied the other man's sweating face carefully. "I have here a record of certain of your activities during the past year or two." He tossed a document over the desk to Szayel. The man picked it up and blanched. He sagged in the chair and looked at Aizen with eyes wide with fear.

"You— how did you know…" he stuttered.

Aizen merely smiled at him, eyes glinting, his voice like velvet now. "I'm assuming you don't want that information made public, Szayel."

"No…" the man whispered, eyes trapped by Aizen's gaze, which had turned triumphant.

"If that's the case, I have a few simple tasks for you to perform."

"Of course, sir! I'll do anything you want," Szayel stammered hastily.

"Good." Aizen's eyes glittered with satisfaction. "Now then, here is what I'd like you to say to Gin…"

XxXxXxX

In a windowless room in a building without an address, two men were meeting.

One was young and handsome, with a curl of brown hair hanging in his face. The other was old and wizened, thin gray hair combed over a shining pate, his wrinkled and spotted hands trembling. Both wore expensive tailored suits, and there was an aura of power surrounding each of them, that of men who were accustomed to commanding others and having their orders carried out.

The younger one said, "I understand that one of your agents has put together an indictment against me."

The older one cackled. "That's right, Aizen. We've finally got you dead to rights." He chuckled again. "You've had a long, successful run, Aizen, but it's over now."

The other smiled. "Over? Truly? Isn't there anything that you need, that you'd like me to provide you with, in exchange for seeing this foolishness go away?"

"There's nothing more you have to offer me, Aizen. I've got all the money and power I need. It's time for you to go down. It would look good on my resume, too. I finally nailed the elusive Sousuke Aizen. Kind of like the war with Al Capone."

Aizen laughed. "You don't make a good Eliot Ness, Director. I can see it. Your health is declining; you're getting old. You'll have to retire soon."

"It happens to all of us, Aizen," croaked the old man.

"Not necessarily," said Aizen. He lifted a long-fingered hand gracefully and turned it palm upward. "Haven't you heard about the new process Las Noches is developing?"

"I've heard you're making some investigations into longevity with your purchase of Gotei, but you haven't gotten very far."

Aizen smiled. "That's what I want my competitors to believe. Actually, we've begun human trials with great success. We've regenerated limbs. Turned back the aging clock." He fixed his eyes on the older man and dropped his voice to a whisper. "I hear… you've been in the hospital with a failing heart, kidneys. What if those organs could be rejuvenated, your body restored? You… could have several decades more of life, if you wished."

The old man stiffened. "I've heard nothing of this work."

"It's all been highly secret, of course." Aizen crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair. "But I could provide you with proof, if you wish."

The Director fixed his beady eyes on the younger man. His voice was suddenly avid. "Very well, Aizen. You've succeeded in piquing my interest."

Aizen smiled in triumph. "So, if I show you proof that we have a successful product, and that you could be provided with… an early-adopter's version… do we have a deal?"

The old man narrowed his eyes. "If you show me proof, and deliver as promised… then… yes."

XxXxXxX

Ichigo was making one last trip to Urahara's candy shop. This time, he chuckled as he looked at the fanciful displays. He had to admit that he had come to appreciate Urahara's bizarre sense of humor. The man had shown an incisive mind, guiding Ichigo along the tortuous route of extracting just the right level of confessions from Aizen, helping them build up the structure of their case, piece by careful piece of evidence. And the high-tech security of the basement room had guaranteed them a safe space to talk, free from the worry that spies or bugs were sending information back to Aizen.

He sighed. It was such a relief that it was over. At least his part in it was over. No doubt the lawyers still had their work cut out for them to make sure the charges stuck to Aizen, but that was out of his hands.

As Ichigo was exchanging light-hearted pleasantries with the shaggy-haired proprietor of the shop, Hitsugaya suddenly came pounding down the stairs.

"Damn it!" he cried. "Our airtight indictment has been quashed!"

Ichigo stared in shock. "What! How?"

Hitsugaya scowled furiously. "Someone in higher management knocked it down. Claimed it wasn't strong enough. Bullshit! It was tight as a drum and anyone who looked at that case could have seen how strong it was."

Urahara and Ichigo exchanged dismayed glances. "You think Aizen got to them?" inquired the older man.

"It's the only possible explanation," said the white-haired agent, beginning to pace around the room. "But the problem is, I don't know at how high a level we've been compromised. I could try to go over their head, if I knew. But without knowing, I could just be putting all our necks in a noose."

"Why not go to the top?"

"The Director?" asked Hitsugaya. "I've thought of that. But he doesn't encourage people going around the chain of command. I'd like to go one level down, and talk to the associate director of my division. But… I don't know if he's the one who's been compromised."

"Plus," said Urahara, "you don't know… it could even be the Director who has been paid off."

Hitsugaya snorted. "Not the old man. He's been running the agency for two decades. No one can bribe him. He's got files on everybody in the country, and he doesn't take kindly to threats to his power. Aizen is small fry compared to him."

Urahara raised his eyebrows. "Well then, you should make an appointment to speak with him directly."

"No." Hitsugaya was definite. "I've got to have proof that the associate director, or someone below him, is taking bribes. Without it, he won't even talk to me."

"Then what do we do?" demanded Ichigo.

The white-haired man exhaled slowly. "I… don't know, Ichigo," he said in a defeated tone. "We don't have a lot of options now. I'm afraid Aizen has outmaneuvered us again."


	22. Chapter 22: Ichigo:Aizen

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 22**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Ichigo, Aizen

**A/N:** Thanks to **le etoile** for beta'ing this chapter.

* * *

Orihime gazed at Ichigo in despair. "So… months of work, all that careful amassing of evidence, went for _nothing_? Aizen even has control over the _FBI_?" She sat down abruptly, on the verge of angry tears. "Is there nothing we can do to touch him?" She was shaking. "And we're still trapped here, still in his power! Will we ever get out?"

Ichigo put his arms around her, grimacing. "Shh, it'll be all right. We haven't given up yet. Urahara's working on some backup plans, and Hitsugaya has some ideas as well. And I, well, I've been thinking of some options too." He tightened his grasp on her unconsciously.

She looked up at the tension in his body and voice. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Nothing definite yet," he said evasively, avoiding her eyes. He dropped his arms and stepped away from her. "But I haven't given up." Ichigo turned away from Orihime. He didn't want her to know the desperate idea he was harboring. In reality, he wished he hadn't even thought of it.

XxXxXxX

Ichigo was working in the lab when Ulquiorra came by.

"What do you want?" He scowled at the pale, black-haired man standing by the lab door with his hands in his pockets.

"Aizen-sama would like you to join him for lunch in the executive dining room." Ulquiorra's voice was expressionless as always.

Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "What does he want with me?"

Ulquiorra shrugged. "It's not my place to inquire as to his inner thoughts. Shall we go?"

Ichigo looked at the work piled up on his desk, then shrugged as well. "Fine." He wondered what Aizen wanted. To gloat over his victory? To try another way to kill Ichigo? They hadn't spoken in the couple of days since Ichigo's illness and the quashing of the indictment. Ichigo had been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe this was it.

As he put away his papers, his eye fell on the top desk drawer where he had placed a small packet earlier. He hesitated a moment, glancing at Ulquiorra. The man was looking up at one of the whirling centrifuges and not at him. He quietly opened the drawer and slipped the tiny twist of paper into his pocket.

XxXxXxX

The executive lunchroom was on one of the highest floors of the building with an expansive view of the city. It was a cold, clear day, with only a few thin streaks of cirrus clouds veining a pale blue sky. The sun glittered off the water in the distance. Ichigo turned from the window at Aizen's greeting.

Aizen smiled at him warmly as he approached. He wore a pale gray suit of a classic cut, and as always, looked relaxed and elegant. There was a serene smile on his face, his composure enhancing his beauty, as he gracefully offered his slender hand to Ichigo. "Hello, my friend. And how are you today?"

Ichigo scowled and ignored Aizen's proffered hand. He was done making nice with Aizen. "Given that you tried to infect me with a terminal disease and have somehow managed to corrupt the FBI, I'm not having a good day."

Aizen's smile widened. "Direct as always, Ichigo. I trust we can still have an entertaining conversation today." He gestured to a door at the end of the room. "After you."

They entered a small private room furnished with a beautiful carved wooden table and elegant, high-backed dining chairs. A thick Persian carpet covered the floor, and one wall was composed entirely of floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the best view the building had to offer. Ichigo sat down in the indicated chair and crossed his arms over his chest. The array of steaming dishes smelled wonderful, but Ichigo ignored the food as Aizen began to serve it onto both of their plates.

"What did you want to see me for?" he inquired brusquely. He was through playing games with Aizen. He might be forced to work for the man but he'd be damned if he'd spend one more instant being polite to the bastard.

Aizen said softly, "Can't we just have a pleasant lunch together?" He tilted his head. "Perhaps I just enjoy your company."

Ichigo couldn't stand it. "Cut the crap, you son of a bitch!" he yelled. "I'm sick of your games. You just tried to kill me and you're sitting there saying we can have—" he sneered, "—a pleasant lunch together?"

Aizen's look of amusement deepened. "Whatever makes you think I tried to kill you?"

Ichigo glared at him. He was about ready to stomp out of the room regardless of the consequences. "You bastard. I almost died from that flesh-eating bacteria infection that, gee, also happened to infect a couple of your other enemies."

Aizen sighed in mock solicitude. "Ichigo, there was never any attempt to kill you. I knew that Orihime could save you with… _Souten Kisshun_." Ichigo's eyes narrowed at Aizen's use of the code word. How much did he know? Ichigo knew that Szayel couldn't have decrypted the files yet, or could he?

Aizen took another mouthful of pheasant with jelly and leaned back in his chair, the picture of utter relaxation. "I planned that little event to have Szayel extract the details of the process from Orihime, since the two of you were so lacking in honesty towards your employer as to be less than forthcoming in your reports." He sipped his wine. "That was all. No ill will was meant towards you."

Ichigo's mouth had dropped open. "You're actually admitting that you did that to me as part of some kind of _scheme_?" He was having a hard time believing that even Aizen could be so openly Machiavellian.

"Yes, it also served the dual purpose of obtaining some evidence on a troublesome subordinate… whom I gave just enough rope to hang himself." Aizen's eyes glittered with pleasure as he recalled his ploy. "And, since I know you're no longer wearing a bug around me, I can at last indulge myself in speaking freely." He observed Ichigo's look of anger with a deep sense of gratification. "Now I have the full information on the _Souten Kisshun_ process that you so unjustly tried to keep from your lawful employer."

Ichigo clenched his fists. He longed to reach over and give Aizen a good punch in his grinning face. Then he thought again of the twist of paper hidden in his pocket and it cooled his anger. Could he really do it? Somebody had to take out Aizen, and clearly it was going to be difficult if not impossible to take him down by lawful means. To take his mind off the thought, he focused on the conversation. "So you know our entire process now."

"Yes," Aizen said simply. "That was my original aim. I do hope that you don't believe that I have any ill intent towards you, Ichigo. I am still looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship."

"I don't want to have any kind of relationship with you, you bastard!" Ichigo clenched his fists again.

Aizen merely raised his eyebrows and indicated Ichigo's untouched plate with mock concern. "Ichigo, you don't seem to be very hungry. What's wrong?"

Ichigo couldn't take it any longer. "What's _wrong_ is that you're infecting me with dangerous diseases just as a _move_ in one of your games, blackmailing me and Orihime, making us work in your lab on things we don't want to do, stealing our work, spying on us, breaking every law in this country and getting away with it, and that you seem to expect that I can pretend it's all going to be fine, that we're all going to be some sort of big happy family!" he shouted. "Well, I've had it! I quit!" He threw his napkin down in anger and shoved back from the table. "I don't care what you do to me!"

Aizen's expression did not change during this outburst. But when Ichigo stood up to leave he said softly, "Yes, you don't care what happens to you. But what about Orihime?"

Ichigo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You goddamn bastard," he said through clenched teeth.

"You know there is nowhere you could run to that I could not reach," Aizen said calmly. "I would suggest you consider your actions carefully. I would be obliged to… reprimand both of you should you make any rash act."

Slowly, Ichigo sat down. His entire body was tense as a board. He clenched his fist and slowly lifted it above the table. "Aizen, you—"

Just then, a man in a waiter's uniform entered the room, came over to the table and bent down to whisper in Aizen's ear. The CEO's brows drew together in mild concern, and he nodded at the man in acknowledgment. To his dining companion, he said placidly, "Ichigo, I'm afraid I'll have to step out for a moment to take care of some urgent business. I'll be back within five minutes; please continue with your meal."

Alone in the room, Ichigo sat taking deep breaths and clenching and unclenching his fists. His gaze fell upon Aizen's half-full glass of wine, and he slowly reached into his pocket.

The twist of paper was innocuous-looking, and when opened, revealed a miniscule amount of white powder. Ichigo gazed at it, strong, conflicting emotions nearly overcoming him. _Koten Zanshun_. One of the deadliest bioweapons on earth. All he had to do was place this tiny dose of powder in Aizen's glass. It was tasteless and odorless. Once the man had ingested it, within hours, his body would swell with multiple cancerous tumors. It took effect so rapidly that there would be no way to reverse the process, not even with the miracle cure of _Souten Kisshun_.

Ichigo swallowed. With this one simple act, the overwhelming odds against him would be reversed, all of Aizen's power neutralized. All he had to do—was murder a man in cold blood.

"Damn," Ichigo muttered as he clenched his other fist. He told himself once more that Aizen deserved it, that doubtless he would be saving many other people's lives, that it was a lesser evil in service of a greater good. It was the justification he had used to convince himself to deceive Aizen and record his words for the FBI. But gathering evidence to send Aizen to jail, or attacking him in a fair fight, was completely different from this kind of sneak assassination. Or was it?

His train of thought broke off suddenly, as he was struck by an abrupt realization that jolted through him with a powerful shock of excitement. With this weapon, he could actually make a difference. It didn't have to stop here. For clearly Aizen was not the only force of evil to be reckoned with. In Las Noches alone he had met many whose aims and methods were unethical to the extreme. _Koten Zanshun _was a deadly, untraceable agent. There would be no evidence of murder; his victims would simply die of cancer. A surge of adrenaline washed through his body. After these months of powerlessness, he could finally _fight back_. He could become an avenging angel, remaking the world for the better, destroying all evil.

He sat there staring at the little packet and realized suddenly the weight of his decision. What he chose in the next few minutes would set the course of the rest of his life, and undoubtedly that of many other people's lives.

Slowly he lifted the twist of paper to bring it over Aizen's glass…

…and then brought his arm back down to his side, letting out the breath he had been holding. He refolded the slip of paper and slid it back into his pocket. He sat still, with head bowed, for a long moment.

No. That way of thinking was exactly what had led Aizen to become the man he was today, a cold and calculating chessmaster without conscience or morals. If he used the power he had in his hand for cold-blooded murder, he would, he realized, eventually _become_ Aizen, become a force for evil himself. Once he started thinking that crimes were acceptable for some greater purpose, the extent of his evil would eventually be limited only by his own power. And with _Koten Zanshun_ at his command, that power would be vast.

Ichigo gave a long, deep sigh. Then he pulled the plate of food closer and began eating, a grim scowl on his face. He would just have to find some other way of defeating Aizen. He would do it. He _had_ to do it.

But then he sighed again. Unfortunately, he just couldn't see any realistic way to succeed.


	23. Chapter 23: Ichigo:Orihime:Urahara:Grimm

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 23**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Orihime, Ichigo, Urahara, Shinji, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra

**A/N:** Thanks to **le etoile** for beta'ing this chapter.

* * *

Orihime was working in the lab when Ichigo got back from lunch. He stood for a long time watching her, absorbed in her work and not noticing that he was there. Finally she sighed and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, then gave a little jump when she saw him.

"Oh! Ichigo. I didn't realize you were there. How did it go?"

Ichigo gave a long sigh and shook his head. "Unbelievably, he actually admitted that he had me infected with the bacteria."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "So he must know that you've stopped recording his conversations, if he's openly admitting he tried to kill you."

"Oh, it wasn't to kill me, he claims—just to make sure Szayel could gather all the details of our process."

"Oh." Orihime looked downcast. "I thought that might have been why Szayel was being so helpful."

"No, don't worry about it, Orihime." He sat down in a chair and slumped over. "What were you going to do? Refuse to use the treatment and let me die?" A brief grin passed over his face. "I think you made the right decision."

She nodded, and then pulled over a chair to sit directly facing him. She placed her hands on her thighs, firmed her lips, and gazed at Ichigo with an extremely serious look on her face. "So what do we do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it's time to take action against Aizen. I don't care what it takes." Ichigo looked at her in alarm. Her jaw was clenched and he could see a muscle twitching in it. He had never seen her like this. Resolution hardened her voice. "I've been thinking about it…" Then her voice dropped to a whisper. "Have you thought of anything?"

Ichigo lowered his gaze. "I'll admit, I thought about some terrible things. I thought about it today at lunch. Using _Koten Zanshun_ on him." He looked away. "I didn't want to confess to you that I was thinking about becoming a murderer."

Orihime paled. "Ichigo…"

Ichigo lifted his voice and overrode hers. "But I realized that would make us no better than him. So I didn't do anything." He slumped and put his head in his hands. "Maybe I made a terrible mistake. That might have been our only chance."

"No." Orihime was looking at him with resolve. "There's something else we can do."

"What?"

She looked at him without saying anything for a long time, and then picked up a glass stirrer from the lab bench and twirled it nervously in her fingers. "Uh…"

"Yes?" Ichigo prompted.

Orihime scrutinized the glass stirrer carefully, apparently fascinated by a tiny flaw in the glass at the end of the thin tube. Finally, she bit her lip.

"We can destroy our work," she said in a rush. "Erase all the files, destroy the medications, and purge the cultures."

He gaped at her in complete and utter shock. He couldn't believe she was saying this; it went against everything he had ever believed, to destroy something so valuable, to destroy _knowledge_… "But… to sacrifice your life's work… to give up all the potential for good…"

She shook her head as though batting away a fly. "Isn't losing all that worth it, to bring down Aizen? Wouldn't you give up anything to defeat him; any power, any knowledge, any gift, to stop this man who wants to control the world, who will use our work only for his own selfish purposes?"

"Well— don't you see—" he stopped, struck by the implications of her words. "Of course I would give up anything to defeat him." He took a deep breath. "But… would it even work? He already has the formulas from Szayel."

"No," she said firmly. "I did suspect Szayel, actually, so when I was treating you, I made sure he saw the wrong compounds at each step of the process. He only thinks he had the right information."

Ichigo stared at her, amazement dawning on his face. Once again, everyone had underestimated Orihime. "Really? But then— then the situation isn't hopeless after all." He got up and began to pace. "We could destroy everything, remove all the evidence. Yes. It would be possible." Then he stopped. "But what good would it do, Orihime?" His face crumpled in disappointment. "We'd still be under Aizen's control. He'd probably just threaten to torture or kill each of us if the other didn't do what he said, and then he'd make us recreate the work. We'd be right back where we started."

Orihime's face fell. "Oh. You're right," she whispered. "So then what can we do?"

"I don't know, but we shouldn't give up, Orihime. Let's keep on trying to think of something. And I'll talk to Urahara tonight."

XxXxXxX

Urahara listened thoughtfully to what Ichigo was saying, tapping his fan in his hand. His eyes were shadowed by his green-and-white striped hat, but Ichigo could tell he was paying close attention.

"Hmm. That's a drastic step, destroying all your work. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Ichigo clenched his fists. "Yes. We're both sure. We're willing to make the sacrifice if it means defeating Aizen. And we don't really see any other way out."

Urahara nodded. "Well, then in that case…" he hesitated for a moment, then continued. "It occurs to me it's likely what Aizen is using to bribe people – is your process."

"What?" asked Ichigo in astonishment.

"Yes. Listen to me." He looked up at Ichigo from under his hat and closed his fan. "Hitsugaya said that the really high-ranking people couldn't be bribed with money, remember? But what if Aizen offered them… immortality?"

Ichigo stared, first with incredulity, then dawning comprehension. "You mean…"

"Yes. We all know how persuasive Aizen is, and it sounds like the evidence from your lab, even though not legal or official, could be shown to prospective… customers." Urahara wrinkled his nose at the last word. "There are a lot of people who would be corrupted by a prize like that, and you can bet that Aizen has found them and made deals with them." He sighed. "I thought that might be a risk when Hitsugaya brought the indictment."

"So you're saying that if we can somehow make it known that Aizen doesn't have an immortality process any more…"

"You can't let it come out that you and Orihime had it and destroyed it, or you two will become prey for every ambitious schemer in the country. I'm saying that if we make it public that it doesn't exist and never did, that it was all one of Aizen's tricks, and the videotapes and lab results were faked, all those people Aizen bribed may suddenly get un-bribed."

"You mean, claim we never really discovered anything? But… how do we do that?" asked Ichigo.

"Hmmm… it would take a little bit of strategizing between you, Orihime, and me. But I do have a couple of ideas… Do you think you have any allies at Las Noches?"

"It's possible there might be one or two," Ichigo allowed, "based on some things Orihime has told me."

"Then… I'd say we just need to find an eager muckraking journalist who wants to dig up a big scandal… and I think I know just the man." Urahara fanned himself vigorously.

XxXxXxX

The slight man who came down the stairs of Urahara's shop later that evening had blond, jaw-length hair cut in a page boy style. He was wearing a black shirt and narrow striped tie, and was twirling a tweed cap on his finger. He greeted Ichigo with a grin that showed all his teeth.

"Shinji Hirako, at your service," he said with a flippant bow before he accepted Urahara's offer of tea and sat down at the table with them.

Urahara waved his fan and said to Ichigo, "Shinji is a journalist of the old school, with a biting wit and a keen nose for sniffing out corruption. Plus, he's crossed swords with Aizen before, right?" he asked, looking at Shinji who grimaced and nodded. "So he's eager for a rematch."

Ichigo exchanged stares with the grinning blond across the table from him. "So," the man drawled, twirling his cap again, "you've got a story for me on that bastard Sousuke Aizen?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said. He scowled at the man. "He somehow managed to suppress an FBI indictment against him, we think by trying to bribe people with the promise of immortality."

The blond sat up, his grin fading. "Oh really? Tell me more."

XxXxXxX

Ichigo looked at Orihime. "Are you ready?" he asked. "Once I start rerouting Hitsugaya's tape loop to Aizen's video surveillance system, it's likely we'll only have a few hours at most to do everything before we get discovered."

"I'm ready," Orihime said with resolve.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Last chance to change your mind about destroying your life's work."

Her lips set in a line. "I'm ready," she repeated.

XxXxXxX

Orihime stood in the middle of a lab that still looked the same but was now empty of everything that mattered. She had just made a pile of papers in a metal trash can and lit them on fire with a Bunsen burner. She looked up at Ichigo. "I already put all the live cultures in the autoclave and sterilized them. All the computer files have been erased with secure-erase."

Ichigo nodded grimly. "I've destroyed everything I can think of as well. All my notes, everything." He let out a sigh. "It's all gone."

Orihime put her arms around him and they stood together like that for a long time.

XxXxXxX

"So," Shinji asked Ichigo, his eyes roaming around the large, gleaming basement laboratory, "you're saying that you were working on a longevity process for Las Noches when Sousuke Aizen started pushing you to claim more results than you had actually achieved?"

The cameraman pointed his lens at Ichigo.

"Yes," Ichigo said. "We weren't ready for human trials, but Aizen was so eager to demonstrate results that he ordered us to create fake evidence of success."

The blond continued, showing his teeth, "And one of these pieces of evidence was the so-called 'restoration' of a missing arm?" He looked at the blue-haired man leaning against one of the lab tables. The camera swung to cover him.

"Yeah," Grimmjow said brusquely. "I was supposed to pretend I'd lost my arm, so that it could be 'miraculously restored.'" He waved his hand. "But actually it was all done with special effects on the videotape. And I walked around with some long sleeves for a while," he added with a fierce grin.

"So it was all an elaborate lie, an illusion engineered by Sousuke Aizen, is that right?" asked Shinji.

"That's right," said Grimmjow.

"Well, this is a hell of a story," said Shinji. "I think it's going to turn all of Aizen's plans upside down. Watch for it on the evening news tonight." He nodded to the cameraman, and they moved toward the lab exit.

The door suddenly swung open, and Ulquiorra stood there, his lack of expression seeming baleful on his pale face. "I thought so. What is going on here?" he asked tonelessly.

They all stood in a frozen tableau, not daring to move, Ichigo, Orihime, Grimmjow, Shinji, and the cameraman, as Ulquiorra's eyes turned from one to the other.

"You fed a fake signal to the video surveillance network," he stated. "How could you be so foolish as to think I would not detect it? And who are all these people?"

No one said anything. Orihime's mind was racing. Was there an excuse she could make, a plausible lie she could tell?

Ulquiorra went on, looking at the cameraman, "What is the press doing here? What are you trying to do?" He turned to Grimmjow. "Jaegerjaques, are you participating in this clandestine undertaking? What do you have to say for yourself to avoid disciplinary action?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "Nothing really. I just kinda feel I owe Dr. Inoue big time, so I was helping her out with a story to make her famous."

Ulquiorra said, "You're claiming this is a news story about the restoration of your arm with Dr. Inoue's process?" His face was as expressionless as always, but Orihime could tell that he could see through the lie.

Shinji tipped his head to one side with a grin. "Yeah, surely Las Noches won't mind a little free publicity?"

Ulquiorra's neutral gaze turned to him. He narrowed his eyes. "If this has not been approved by corporate management—"

Then Orihime stepped forward. "It was all my doing, Ulquiorra." His eyes swung to her. "You— you can hold me responsible for all of this. If anyone is to undergo disciplinary action, it should be me and not any of the others." Her voice broke. "I— I just couldn't bear it any longer…" she whispered.

Ulquiorra looked at her steadily, not moving. Then he looked around at the others. Orihime started to open her mouth, but subsided. Ulquiorra studied her face again for a long moment, the expression on his face unchanging as always.

Then, without a word, he turned on his heel and left the lab. The door swung shut behind him.

XxXxXxX

Orihime and Ichigo sat in Urahara's basement watching his TV. Shinji had put together a dramatic story, bringing up several other shady, unproven events in Aizen's past.

Orihime looked over at Urahara. "But Shinji's story won't hold water long," she protested. "I mean, there have to be other people who saw Grimmjow without his arm, for example."

Urahara grinned. "Yeah, but that's the beauty of the whole thing. Aizen has the burden of proof on his side. I mean, who thinks an immortality process is real? It's much more believable that it never existed in the first place. Besides, we don't have to convince everybody. Just the few key people Aizen bribed. If we can get them to think even for a moment that Aizen might be playing them for fools, they'll back out of their deals so fast, Aizen won't know what hit him."

"Oh, I see," said Orihime, settling back into the couch and relaxing into Ichigo's arms, which tightened around her.

"Plus," Urahara added, "everyone who's dealt directly with Aizen knows his reputation and his ability to create illusions. They'll be ready to believe it was all a lie."

XxXxXxX

The next morning, as Ichigo was getting ready for work, he got a call from Urahara.

"Hey. Why are you calling me at home?" he asked, lifting his coffee cup with one hand while cradling the phone against his ear. "You never do that."

Urahara's voice came over the earpiece. "It's because we're done hiding, Ichigo. The indictment has been made."


	24. Chapter 24:Toshiro:Aizen:Orihime:Ichigo

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 24**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Hitsugaya, Aizen, Orihime, Ichigo

**A/N: **Second-to-last chapter! I'd like to thank all of my readers who have been following along with me on my first long fanfic. To my loyal reviewers who comment on every chapter, I love you! Thanks especially to **Crystal Dawn**, **Eldar-Melda**, **Pin Needle**, **randomfan17**, **nypsy**, **ldzetc**, **Hirono**, **Twoformemories**,** ladybearington**, **chuchootrain**, and to everyone else who has been reading and reviewing my story. Your comments kept me going and inspired me to keep writing even when it got difficult.

I worked very hard on these last few chapters to make the ending come out right for this AU story while still echoing events in the recent manga chapters (e.g. Ichigo sacrificing his powers, the battle with Aizen, etc.) and providing some back story and explanation for these events. I'm glad that people are liking it so far.

As a warning, this is probably the most angsty chapter I've written for this story, and involves the death of innocent side characters (but not any canon characters). Please be prepared. I had a hard time writing it myself.

My deepest thanks to **le etoile** for beta'ing this chapter and for all her wonderful comments.

**Warnings:** Angst, graphic violence, death.

XxXxXxX

It was a crisp, clear morning with a thin layer of snow still lining the streets from the previous evening's snowfall. Toshiro Hitsugaya climbed out of the first of three police cars that had pulled up in front of the Las Noches Corporation skyscraper, his spiky white hair blowing in the stiff early-morning breeze, and nodded to the other agents and officers as he led them all up the broad sidewalk to the tall glass doors of the building.

Hitsugaya had never been inside the Las Noches building, and once in the lobby, he shook his head at what he saw as the overdone pretentiousness of the décor. Then he marched directly to the central elevators, armed with his indictment. The other officers trailed after the diminutive FBI agent, the little procession garnering stares and shocked glances from many in the arriving-to-work crowd.

Reaching the top floor, the white-haired agent flashed the indictment and his badge at Aizen's executive assistant with an expression of grim determination. She looked shell-shocked, but allowed them in. Hitsugaya marched into Aizen's office with his paperwork in hand. The brown-haired man was sitting behind his oversized desk, wearing a white shirt without a tie. He watched Hitsugaya approach with a neutral expression on his face.

"Sousuke Aizen, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." Hitsugaya read out the standard speech.

Aizen slowly stood up. His eyes were cold. "How dare you come in here, you little worm?" he hissed in a tone of smoldering rage.

"Aizen, I have a warrant for your arrest. You're coming with us today to be arraigned." Hitsugaya's teal eyes blazed. He motioned to one of the officers. "Go ahead. Slap the cuffs on him."

As the officer moved around the desk to handcuff Aizen, an expression of furious disbelief came over his face. He shouted, "Impossible! How could one such as you dare to attack _me_?" He angrily knocked away the policeman's arms and jumped away from the desk. A second officer quickly moved into position to assist.

A grim smile spread over Hitsugaya's face. "It's easy, Aizen. We've got a record of you incriminating yourself. You're not above the law anymore."

As the first officer struggled to clasp the handcuffs on Aizen's wrists, he turned suddenly and struck the policeman with a sharp blow to his neck. The man slumped and the other two policemen went for their guns. "Hold it right there!" one called. Aizen backed up against the window, spitting like a wounded animal, his eyes darting back and forth in fury.

"Don't touch me!" he cried, his hair falling over his face. But the two policemen charged him and soon had him in an arm lock. They forced him to his knees and snapped the cuffs over his wrists. At the click of the cuffs Aizen seemed to go crazy. He started struggling and shouting, cursing and ferociously kicking out with his legs. Hitsugaya drew his gun and signaled to two of the officers to keep him covered while the others restrained him.

Finally they had him subdued. Aizen lay face down on the plush carpet of his office, two officers holding him with a knee in his back. He was gasping for breath, his face red and his hair disheveled.

Hitsugaya frowned grimly. He spoke to Aizen in a chastising tone of voice. "Are you finally done yelling?" He shook his head. "I swear, I've never seen anyone lose his cool like that. Is it really so impossible that we could have gotten the goods on you?"

Aizen was still panting for breath. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Hitsugaya with a look of hatred on his face. Then he swallowed, visibly bringing himself under control once more. "Forgive me. I just… don't like handcuffs."

XxXxXxX

_He had been five years old. He was at home watching television after dinner with his parents and older sister when four youths burst into their house. He remembered looking up from the TV in shock as they entered the living room._

"_All right!" one of the young men shouted. "Everybody over in the corner and don't move!" The boy had been frozen, staring in shock at what he recognized from the TV as a gun pointed right at him. His father, tall, dark-haired and imposing, had stood up slowly, but the young child could already recognize that he was furious._

"_What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. The lead attacker swung his gun to point at him._

"_Shut up and get down on the floor or I'll shoot!"_

_It happened in what seemed like an instant. His father, eyes narrowing in rage, had charged the youth and succeeded in knocking him to the ground. But in that moment, one of the others had raised his gun and fired. The shot was so loud, the young boy felt it in his eardrums and mouth more than he heard it, and afterwards, it continued echoing in his head, muting the sound of the television. His father crumpled to the floor and the boy stared at him as blood began to ooze from beneath his shirt._

_His mother began screaming and crying, shrieking in panic and fear. One of the other youths approached her and slapped her face, saying, "Shaddup, bitch!" But she was too far gone into the horror of seeing her husband killed in front of her eyes. She was hysterical, unable to stop screaming, and then his sister began crying too, sobbing and wailing. The young boy could see that the noise was making the youths, already jittery, even more nervous._

"_Shut up, or I'll shoot you all!" one of them shouted. The threat had no effect, and the crying continued. The young boy, standing immobile in the corner, wanted to urge his mother and sister to please be quiet; couldn't they see what was going to happen?_

_And then it did. Two more gunshots rang out, making the boy's ears ring even more. He stood there as both his mother and sister collapsed on the floor. His mother was closest, and he could see blood spurting from her wound and spreading across the hardwood floor._

_One of the youths pointed his gun at him then. "I gotta off this one too, don' wan' any witnesses, right?" The young boy looked all the way up into his attacker's face. He knew his large brown eyes beneath their long lashes were wide, peeping from underneath long bangs of soft brown hair. Even at the age of five he knew of the power of physical appearance, and he made his eyes go wider with innocence and gentleness, gazing straight into the eyes of the older youth. The other's eyes flickered, and the young boy saw the change in his expression. "Aww… I can't shoot a kid that little," he muttered. "'Sides, he's too young to testify against us." The leader was stirring on the floor by this time, and he turned to help him up._

"_Come on!" one of the others urged. "Tie 'im up and let's go upstairs to get the money." One of them pulled out handcuffs and locked the young boy's hands to the arm of a heavy wooden chair. Then they pounded up the stairs._

_He heard the youths stomping around upstairs and cursing. He stood alone in the living room looking at the bodies of his family, not moving, for what seemed like a very long time. Eventually he heard more thumps on the stairs. The youths were running downstairs; a couple of them had bags filled with small items, he supposed his mother's jewelry and other small valuables._

_He could tell they were angry, that they had not found what they expected. He learned later that the whole thing had been a case of mistaken identity, that there had been a rumor that their neighbor, who owned a small grocery, kept his life savings in his mattress in cash. Somehow the youths had mistaken their house for the neighbor's. His family had been shot over nothing._

_He was somewhat surprised to realize that he felt no fear, only a slow, deep anger spreading throughout his entire body. He was already memorizing each of their faces, mannerisms, and voices._

_One of them turned to him. "D'ya s'pose the kid would know where he kept the money?" He schooled his face to neutrality, to hide the boiling rage within him. Once again he looked up from behind ignorant, innocent eyes at the youths._

"_Naw," said another, turning away. "Let's get outta here."_

_And with that they were gone. He stood there, chained to the arm of the chair, listening to their footsteps die away. And then it was silent in the living room that had once held the three people he loved most in his life. In the silence he gradually became aware that his mother was still alive. She was whimpering and gasping._

"_Mommy," he called, but she did not respond, just continued with tiny moans and cries of pain. He saw that she was not moving, and the blood was continuing to seep from her wound. He had been taught to call 911 in an emergency, and the telephone was on the kitchen counter. Maybe he could save her if she could get to the hospital. The small boy began dragging the heavy chair, slowly, in the direction of the kitchen. The handcuffs hurt his hands, but he kept on going._

_After what seemed like a very long time he managed to get himself and the chair into the kitchen, just beneath where the telephone was mounted. But there he had a problem. He could see the telephone, just above his eye level, on the counter. But he could not reach it, with his hands locked to the chair. The small boy tried lifting his bound hands up to the counter level. He tried over and over again, but he was just not strong enough to raise the chair sufficiently. He tried to see if he could reach the phone with his head, but he was just a little bit too short. He collapsed over the chair arm and his eyes began to sting with tears. Then he told himself he must not cry, and the tears dried up. He began systematically trying to slide his hands out of the handcuffs, but they were clamped over his wrists too tightly._

_He thought of trying to get out the kitchen door to go for help, but he could not reach the doorknob either. He thought of flicking the light switch on and off to signal a neighbor, but it was also out of his reach. He tried shouting for help, but no one came._

_So he began methodically attempting once more to slip his hands out of the handcuffs. He worked and worked at it for a long time, as the whimpers and cries from the living room gradually became fainter and fainter until they stopped altogether._

_When they finally found him the next morning, still handcuffed to the chair in the kitchen, his wrists were so battered they looked like raw meat. The handcuffs and chair arm were covered in blood._

_Much later, they told him his family was dead, but he didn't cry. He never cried again._

XxXxXxX

A thin, driving snow had begun to fall again as Ichigo and Orihime walked to the Las Noches building from their parking garage. The sky had turned gray and a blustery wind whipped loose pieces of trash along the city streets. As they approached the building, they saw a crowd gathered outside the oversized front doors. There were reporters with cameras and microphones on long booms, jockeying for position and angling to get the best shot of the closed glass lobby doors.

The two of them exchanged glances and then pushed their way through the crowd toward the front door.

There was a large press of people standing in the lobby, and a smaller group was preparing to exit. Then the heavy glass doors opened and several uniformed policemen came out. They took up stances to either side of the door.

"Stay back, everybody!" one warned, swinging a billy club in his hand. The crowd outside the doors withdrew slowly, people backing up and pressing into the people behind them. They were all craning their necks to see what was happening.

The doors opened again and several men in suits emerged, surrounding a tall, slender figure wearing a white shirt and black slacks, jacketless. Ichigo did a double-take when he saw who it was, even though he was half-expecting it. Aizen was being led out in handcuffs. His face was pale and drawn and his hair disheveled. Ichigo almost hadn't recognized the man without his air of supreme confidence.

At his side was Hitsugaya in a dark suit, speaking to Aizen in a low voice.

The brown-haired man turned his head away from the white-haired FBI agent, and to his surprise, Ichigo saw a look of confusion on that once determined face. He looked… _bewildered_, the consummate player who had finally been outmaneuvered at his own game.

Orihime's hand crept into Ichigo's. She said softly, "I don't think he's ever lost before."

The government agents led Aizen to a waiting car, and then drove away. Ichigo and Orihime were left staring after the car.

Orihime said in a subdued voice, "I know he's done terrible things to us and I should be glad he's been arrested, but… I can't help feeling sorry for him. I know… I shouldn't."

Ichigo said, "No, actually, Orihime… I don't feel altogether good about what we've done either. I mean, we lied, we destroyed property that legally belonged to him…" He shook his head. "I'm still a little sick to my stomach about all that."

They heard a voice behind them. "No, Ichigo, you definitely did the right thing." Urahara had come up on the sidewalk and was also looking after the vehicle that had carried Aizen away. "I guess someone in the FBI had a sudden attack of conscience this morning." He looked dour but pleased under his striped hat.

He looked over at Ichigo. "Don't you realize what would have happened if Aizen had won? What he would have done with all that power?"

"Yeah." One corner of Ichigo's mouth twisted wryly. "I know. We just couldn't let that happen."

"It's the decision that has always had to be made by revolutionaries everywhere. At what point does the status quo become unbearable? When do you have to stand up for what's right, despite what the laws say, or the personal risk?" Urahara looked serious and almost respectable without his ever-present fan.

"Yeah," said Ichigo again. "I guess… the answers are never really simple, are they? You have to keep on trying to make the right decisions, over and over again, without definite guidelines, without knowing for sure what the correct choices are."

Orihime squeezed his hand to comfort him and looked up at him. "But that's why you trust in your friends, Ichigo. We can keep each other honest. Even though I feel sorry for Aizen, I still know we made the right decision."

He glanced down at her and suddenly gave her a brilliant smile. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right, Orihime."

But Urahara was no longer listening. He was gazing off into the distance where the car taking Aizen away had disappeared. He looked grimly satisfied. "So he goes down at last."

XxXxXxX

**A/N:** I thought it was out of character for Aizen to lose his cool during the battle with Ichigo and Urahara in canon… so I figured there must be some hidden reason for him to behave like that. I tried to mirror that here. Plus… I admit I wanted to give Toshiro a chance to participate in bringing Aizen down.


	25. Chapter 25: Orihime:Ichigo:Aizen

**Triangle of Immortality – Chap. 25**

**by Sariniste**

**Characters**: Ichigo, Orihime, Aizen

**A/N:** Thanks to **le etoile** for beta'ing this chapter. This is the last chapter and end of the story.

XxXxXxX

Orihime came running into the lab, gaily waving a flimsy piece of paper.

"Ichigo, look what came in interoffice mail!" She laughed. "It's a pink slip! I don't think I've ever been so happy to be fired before!"

Ichigo grinned at her and took the paper. "Dear Dr. Inoue, we regret to inform you that your position has been eliminated due to a reorganization in the company." He snorted. "I'll bet there's been a reorganization. The CEO, President, and Comptroller are in jail, four members of the Board of Directors fled the country… Let's see." He ticked off names on his fingers with a satisfied expression. "Aizen, Ichimaru, Tousen, Granz are in jail…"

Orihime smiled and handed him an envelope before he could continue the litany. "This came for you as well."

He opened it and grinned. "Yup, as of today, I've joined the ranks of the unemployed." He dropped it on the lab bench and held out his arms to Orihime. "You know what this means, right?"

She smiled back in open delight. "We're free!" She ran into his arms and they hugged tightly.

He pulled back from her, stroking her hair. "Let's take the rest of the day off. I feel like strawberry shortcake. Want to go to that new lunch place a few blocks over?"

"Absolutely!" said Orihime, looking up into his face with a blissful smile, shaking her auburn hair back from her face. Ichigo was pleased to see that all the worry lines had disappeared from her face. She was back to the cheerful, lighthearted woman with the sunny disposition that had brought such joy into his life.

Hand in hand, the two of them walked out the door, leaving their security badges on the desk behind them.

XxXxXxX

_A couple of weeks later:_

The snow was falling softly as Ichigo and Orihime walked through the streets, now glittering with holiday decorations. The night air smelled fresh and crisp, with a faint odor of baking holiday loaves on the breeze as they turned a corner. "Here we are," said Ichigo with a pleased expression on his face.

Orihime gasped in pleasure. "Mariana's? You're taking me to dinner at Mariana's?"

He smiled. "Well, I know it's your favorite."

"But Ichigo," she said in dismay, "it's so expensive. And you're still unemployed!"

"Nope!" He grinned. "I have big news to celebrate. I've got a job!"

Orihime squealed in delight and grabbed him up in a big hug. "That's wonderful! Where?"

He smiled down at her. "The clinic just won a new grant, and they offered me my old position back."

"Oh, that's terrific!"

"So come on in," he said, holding the door of the restaurant open as he swept her a showy bow. "And I have another special surprise for you."

XxXxXxX

"Oh," Orihime said with a long intake of breath. "It's beautiful!" She gazed at the brochure showing a bucolic outdoor scene behind an arch covered thickly with jasmine, and unconsciously rubbed the ring on her finger. A couple in wedding dress smiled beatifically at each other under the arch.

"I don't want to wait any longer. I called them up and they have openings starting a couple months from now." He looked at her intently. "This whole misadventure made me think – who knows what's going to happen next?"

She slid her hand into his and looked up into his eyes, beaming. "I think it's a wonderful idea. Let's take the first day they have available."

Ichigo smiled blindingly and took her lips in a gentle, deep kiss.

XxXxXxX

In a corner of the recreation center of a maximum-security prison located at the end of a long, dusty road in a barren desert, several men in orange jumpsuits were gathered. Two of them were holding a third with his arms behind his back, forcing him to kneel before another, who sat relaxed in a standard-issue metal chair.

The man in the chair regarded the kneeling prisoner dispassionately with deep brown eyes. "I was wondering if you had an excuse for disobeying my orders," he said softly.

The man on the ground gasped in fear and pain. His eyes darted wildly back and forth. "S- sir!" he yelped as one of the men holding him gave a vicious twist to his arm. "I— I didn't know that I was supposed to—"

"Be still." The quiet voice of the other man cut across the prisoner's babbling. "I'm tired of hearing your lies. As a matter of fact, I'm tired of hearing you speak at all." He steepled his fingers. "It's time we make clear to the entire inmate population exactly what the new situation in this prison is." He looked at one of the other men. His eyes were cold. "Kill him. I think you know exactly what rumors to spread about his death." The man nodded briefly as the prisoner gasped and renewed his struggles until one of the others clouted him on the head. Then they began to drag the first prisoner away.

The brown-haired man in the chair sighed and said to a dark-skinned man with long hair bound back in neat cornrows, "Our next order of business?"

"I have the information on those individuals you requested, sir."

"Very well, go ahead."

"Ichigo Kurosaki and Orihime Inoue have remained in their residences. No special security is in place. The Director of the FBI has been moved to a secure location. We have identified the location and acquired a map and information on the security protocols. Kisuke Urahara has closed his shop and we have been unable to identify his whereabouts. Same for Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, location unknown. Toshiro Hitsugaya—"

"Stop." The man fell silent immediately.

The brown-haired man shifted in his chair. "Carry out the first phase of the plan against the Director. And let it be known that this is what happens to those who renege on deals with me. It must be well understood that my arm can reach anyone, even from here." He smiled faintly.

The other bowed. "Yes, sir."

"As for the others… no action is necessary at this time."

"But sir! Kurosaki and Inoue are completely unguarded and would be easy targets," the dark-skinned man protested.

"Kaname." The man narrowed his eyes at his subordinate. "I said that I wish to take no action against them."

"Of course, sir!" The other bowed his head. "Please forgive my audacity, sir!"

The brown-haired man gazed off into the distance. "There will be time to take revenge on all my enemies. However, I don't wish Inoue and Kurosaki to be harmed at this time."

XxXxXxX

_He had been twelve years old that night by the river. The past seven years, his life had been focused on a single goal: revenge for the murders of his family. He had given up on legal routes early, when the police dropped the investigation into his family's case due to budget cuts. He had quickly realized that the only things that mattered were to become as strong as possible and to gather as much information as possible, and that ethics were only a limitation. In pursuit of his goal, his actions had already taken him along many dark and dangerous paths; however, he had always come out unscathed, thanks in large degree to the apparent talent he had for manipulating people, for thinking on his feet and making situations come out to his advantage._

_But that night, he had been caught spying on a gang hideout. He had run, but they had caught up with him. He stood on the river bank, knife in hand, waiting for the three large, burly men to attack him. His rational mind calculated that his chances to survive that night were slim. But he would not go down without a fight._

_Then under the light of a street lamp, he caught a glimpse of bright orange hair. His eyes narrowed as he recognized his classmate Ichigo Kurosaki. He had been aware of the boy for a long time; his unusual hair color made him hard to miss. They were the same age and had both lived in the neighborhood since birth; they had even gone to the same preschool. But they had never really spoken. All he knew of Kurosaki was his reputation as a tough street fighter._

_The two boys eyed each other briefly. Then Kurosaki said, "It's easier to defeat multiple attackers if you fight them back to back." He turned to confront the three men, and the two boys faced in opposite directions as the others attacked._

_Even at twelve years of age, Kurosaki had been an incredibly strong fighter. It had not taken long before the three men were lying on the ground, groaning. The two boys looked at each other and then in unspoken agreement took off downriver together._

_As they ran side by side, he had asked, "Why? Why did you help me?"_

_Kurosaki looked at him with a scowl. "Why not? You looked like you needed some help."_

_They ran for a while in silence. As they stopped to catch their breath at the point where the path veered away from the river, he said suddenly, "This is where your mother was killed, wasn't it." He had heard the story, heard how Kurosaki haunted the riverbank where his mother had been shot by thugs three years ago, spending hours walking back and forth along the river. At the time, he had only been scornful of such an irrational waste of time._

_Kurosaki glared at him, then looked away. "Yes."_

"_Do you know who killed her?"_

_There was silence for a while, and at first he thought Kurosaki wouldn't answer. But then the other boy said, "No. I never saw them."_

"_Didn't you ever try to find out who they were?"_

_Kurosaki glanced at him with a scowl. "What's the point of that? The best I can do is try to protect other people who are in trouble."_

_The boy had thought that was a strange and imprudent way to act, but he couldn't deny it had worked to his advantage this time. So all he said was, "Well, thank you. Those guys looked like they were going to kill me."_

_The orange-haired boy had scowled even more ferociously. "Don't worry about it. As a matter of fact, let's just both forget this ever happened."_

"_Agreed." The fact was that they had seriously injured three men. The police were likely to be involved, and it was always best to stay out of trouble. "We were never here."_

_The two had split up and gone their separate ways._

They had never really spoken again until a few months ago. However, he had been collecting information on Kurosaki ever since, partly because he obsessively collected information for its own sake, but partly because he had wondered what made an intelligent person make such apparently foolish choices, especially given the similarities in their lives.

Still, it was not until the recent events that he had admitted to himself what he really thought about the other man.

XxXxXxX

"_I meant what I said. You can have anything."_

"_I want my freedom. Mine and Orihime's. After we finish this project for you, you allow us to leave and work somewhere else. And you leave us in peace for the rest of our lives."_

XxXxXxX

The slight black-haired man entered the executive office and walked to the desk. After the "Thursday morning massacre" where so many Las Noches executives had been arrested or fled the country, Ulquiorra had found himself the ranking corporate officer. The remainder of the Board of Directors had hastily appointed him CEO. Ulquiorra's care and skill in legal matters had ensured that he was one of the few corporate officials with a completely clean slate when the government agents had descended on the company, going over everyone's record with a fine-toothed comb.

So Las Noches had ended up in his hands. This had not been a prospect he imagined when he signed up for the corporate attorney position many years ago. Still, he supposed he would carry out his duties efficiently. He sat down at Aizen's huge desk and gazed at his desktop monitor. All of Aizen's files had self-destructed upon his departure, a logical precaution that Ulquiorra had expected. As a matter of fact, it was interesting how Aizen's presence seemed to have vanished without a trace from the company, surprising considering how heavily his shadow had dominated everything in Las Noches, and how he had run the company as his personal fiefdom.

Ulquiorra began methodically opening desk drawers, again finding nothing personal of Aizen's. Office supplies, pens, spare pads of paper… nothing worthy of note. He began to take the drawers out of the desk one by one, looking for hidden compartments. As he drew out the very last one, he paused. The top of the drawer back was slightly lower than it should have been. He bent down to inspect the interior. Sure enough, he saw a slim drawer attached to the back of the desk, barely visible in the shadows.

He took a letter opener to the crack on its edge and eventually succeeded in prying the small compartment loose. He lifted it out carefully and set it on the desk. It appeared to be secured only by an old-fashioned pin-and-tumbler lock. He bent a couple of paper clips into a rake and tension pick, and set to work picking the lock.

It took less than a minute to open. He slid the inner compartment out of its housing and stared at the contents of the drawer.

It was empty except for what looked like a picture frame. Ulquiorra picked up the frame and turned it over. It was a double frame, with two photos inserted in it. On the left-hand side was a faded picture of a family of four: a handsome, brown-haired man smiling straight at the camera, his arm around an auburn-haired woman who was gazing up at him. Two small children were sitting in front of them, a red-haired girl of about nine years of age, and a much smaller boy with tousled brown hair and wide brown eyes. Ulquiorra looked at the photo for a long moment, noting that the boy looked quite familiar. The girl, on the other hand, bore a striking resemblance to Orihime Inoue (although it was not her), a resemblance made quite evident by the second photograph.

The right-hand side held a candid snapshot of Orihime and Ichigo, outdoors in what looked like a park. Orihime had just turned to face the camera, and her face was lit with a brilliant smile. Ulquiorra gazed at it for a while. The late afternoon sun was glinting off her hair, making it glow like fire. She looked happier than Ulquiorra remembered seeing her. Slightly in the background, Ichigo was standing just behind her, one hand reaching out toward her protectively, a frown creasing his brow. The light had caught his face and hair as well, the orange highlights in his spiky hair matching Orihime's. Despite the frown, his expression looked gentle and his face warm and attractive. The photographer had caught a great deal of emotion in both of the figures in the photo. Ulquiorra found it quite pleasant to look at.

He sat there, gazing at the photos, for many minutes, his face expressionless. Then he returned the double frame to the secret drawer, and slid the drawer back into the desk. It sealed itself with a small click.

XxXxXxX

Ichigo looked over at Orihime as they sat together one evening a few weeks later. She had given a particularly expressive sigh. He noted the sad expression on her face.

"What is it?" he asked gently. "Are you still feeling regret over the loss of your research?"

She made a face, absently reaching up to play with the hairpin that she always used to wear, an old habit, until her groping fingers touched nothing but hair. She had accidentally lost her hairpins during the frantic destruction of evidence in the lab that day a few weeks ago. She sighed and dropped her hand to her lap. She missed them; her brother had given them to her.

"No. Well, yes. I miss what I could have done with it, the people I could have helped…but I still think it was the right thing to do." She turned to look him full in the face. "What about you? You lost your work as well."

He said resolutely, "No. I don't regret anything. We did what we needed to do to stop Aizen. And we succeeded. There really wasn't any other way. Yes, it was a sacrifice. But I'd make the same sacrifice again in a heartbeat."

The two of them said nothing for a while, Orihime leaning against Ichigo as he stroked her hair. Then she said, "And you know, it may have been for the best anyway. Is the world really ready for immortality? Think about all the problems it could cause."

Ichigo nodded in agreement. "You're right about that. Just the rumor of it seemed to be fairly disruptive."

Orihime peeked up at him. She hesitated, and then said to him cautiously, "You do know, though… that I remember all the processes I went through. If necessary, I could reproduce my work—" she stopped as Ichigo put a finger to his lips with a small smile.

"Shhh—I think it's best if we don't even think about that."

She snuggled back into his arms, smiling. "Okay!" Then she looked up at him with a wide grin. "I've got an idea for something else to talk about. Maybe," she smirked slyly, "a better kind of immortality. What should we name our first baby?"

Ichigo looked at her, startled. Then his lips quirked up in a smile to match hers. "Well, if it's a boy—"

**~ THE END ~**

**A/N:** So ends my first novel-length fanfic. I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you very much for reading my story and staying with me to the end. I'm happy that you chose to share my imagination for a while.

I hope to be a professional writer some day, so I very much appreciate any constructive criticism about any aspect of my stories – plotting, characters, pacing, dialogue, description, or anything else you might wish to share. Your comments help me improve my writing.

For example, I would really appreciate your answers to one or more of the following questions:

**Plot:** Was the ending satisfying? Were almost all of the loose ends tied up satisfactorily? (Don't know if it's possible to get every single one.) I spent a lot of time trying to make sure I got the plot to come out right; what did you think?

**Pace:** How was the pacing, especially toward the end of the story? I tried fairly hard to accelerate the tempo toward the end, just enough but not too much. Did I succeed?

**Character development:** I tried to make each of the three main characters develop in the story (yes, that might take them OOC, I know, but I just needed to have them change). Was their change believable? Did it fit in with their original characters?

**Entertainment value:** Finally, did you like the story? Was it fun to read? How was the quality of the writing?

**What comes next:** Would you read other stories I might write in the future? What characters or pairings might you like? Which of the stories that I've started would you like me to continue? Please review and let me know!

With gratitude,

_~Sari, November 16, 2010_


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